DoA: Reneesme's Affair
by BlackSheep Fiction
Summary: What happened in the months that she went missing? She came back grown up, assertive and twice the bitch. What exactly was Reneesme's Affair? (Adult for later chapters. Come on you should know this about me by now!)
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: So this is the sort of sequel to Definition of Affair. This is basically what happened when Nessie up and left for like 8 or 9 months of the original story. I have a few things for you to check out! Go to my profile, check out the Alistair and Bella Video, also I will have a poll on my profile about this story, please take it so that I know where i am going with this story. This is being written as i publish so updates will be a little longer in between!**_

_**Thank you all for your kind words and please remember, Reviews are love. Please review.**_

_**(Non-beta so the mistakes are mine)**_

Chapter 1

In my defense it wasn't one sided. I smile even now a little thinking about how it started. How everything started. However the thought comes along with the bitter end and the delusion I was living with, dissolving into nothing. All these facts with the glaring reality of the situation now had me running from Rockford with no destination in sight.

I got into my car and drove ticking off the facts that I could call true. First off, I couldn't stay on my sister Bella's couch feeling sorry for myself. Second, no, in all reality I didn't believe that Alistair Baur loved me. Third, yes, I do know how really fucked up I was being with him and finally this painfully true fourth fact is; Technically, as much as I made myself believe otherwise, Jessica Stanley didn't do anything to deserve me perusing Alistair the way I did.

I was bored. I had everything given to me and my life was perfect and well, I was bored. So when everything changed on my 21st birthday, my perfect wasn't perfect enough for me because I suddenly realized I was able to get him. I could have the one man I lusted after since I was 14 years old. Alistair. He took me to a nice place for my birthday. I knew the gang was planning a party, but I got to go on a date with Alistair so baby, I'll act surprised all day if that's what it took. He was very sweet and charming the whole meal and after a brief call, to Peter Whitlock or my sister Bella I supposed, we went to his place. That is where it happened. It may seem small or trivial but he was going to kiss me. It was so close and I was already squirming with the want of it. We were talking about him and Peter and he leaned forward. We were inches from each other … then his phone rang. It was there though, the intent, the want, the desire was in the move and I knew then that I could have him. That was when I saw the look he gave me. It was a look he gave the girls that he prowled after in the bar that he and Peter owned. Yes, so I'm a little bit of a stalker, so hang me. You have to understand however, that Alistair was basically walking sex with his always dangerous look in his crystal blue eyes that could just look at you and force your lip to quiver. I swear I have heard a woman moan by him just looking at her. Confidence and sex appeal, which just dripped from every syllable from his mouth.

I shake my head to clear it out of the past, coming quickly back to the here and now.

That seemed to be the theme of this trip, me running from reality, the unfair and unpleasant reality to the unknown cruelty of the world. That wasn't all true either. I sigh, running a hand down my face watching mile upon mile of never changing land slip past.

Now I am in the business of lying to myself.

I know where I am going. I am going to find Jake. He did nothing but love me and I fucked it up. For Alistair! Who treated me like I was…I ran my hand over my face again glaring straight ahead.

Opening night. That was the night Jake first started realizing something was between me and Alistair. It was ironic when you think about it since it was long before any thing ever happened, however the intent was there. The want was there.

_"Why are you so nervous looking, worried your other boyfriend will find out?" Jake finally said, making me giggle more then I normally would. Okay seriously, cut me some slack. I had a crush on the guy since I was 14, I wanted him to be jealous but in the distant silent kind of way. That wasn't how Alistair was though so yeah, I was a bit nervous. "That's it, isn't it?"_

_ "What? No!" I snapped back into the situation at hand and shook my head running around the bar to sooth Jake in some way, try and hold him back. The guy is huge. "No! It's nothing like that! You're being silly!"_

_ He looked into my eyes for a long time. Jake wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but he was smart enough to see when I am flat out lying to him. I tried to look as sincere as possible. He pulled me up to meet his lips hard and rough, demanding compliance. It was sexy and hot and I had never been so attracted to him. Even though I did whimper some when he kept a hold of my face in a dominating way as he pulled away, almost growling at me. "You're mine!" _

_ I opened my mouth to respond but the hand was suddenly removed and Alistair was gripping Jake's arm. Jake smirked at him. "You would be the one."_

_ I would be a liar if I said that a little thrill and soaked panties didn't follow Alistair's comment. "I will be the one." Alistair practically growled, "I'll be the one to show you what happens if you put you your hands on her again." Peter stepped in, angrily whispering back and forth with Alistair and it seemed that everything was chilled out for a bit. _

_ I grabbed Jake's hand bringing him with me outside after Peter seemed to defuse the situation. When we reached the parking lot he jerked out of my grasp. "What the fuck is with you and that guy?"_

_ "Nothing! I work with him! That's all!" I waved my hands around I guess to convince him further or maybe hide the obvious guilt, I have no idea. "You know Alistair; he's been my sister's friend for years."_

_ "Yeah right and you have stared after him for years too." He snorted, started to walk past me. The need to never be wrong or maybe I was still sipping on my denial, either way I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. "I HAVE NOT!"_

_ He spun around and walked back quick, making me drop my hands and take a step back watching his face. "I won't come to the bar again, but you won't be working there alone with him. Understand?"_

_ I nodded quickly and his face softened some, probably reading the fear all over mine. He pulled me into a hug and sighed kissing on my neck. "Let's go back to my place." I was technically working right now, but I am sure that Peter was happier that I left with Jake in tow rather them chance another scene. _

I have five hundred dollars that I emptied from my cash-on-hand jar in the apartment to fund this trip. It was money I was saving from working at the bar. I refused to take the money in my bank, after everything, living off of Bella and mom and dad's money was the last thing I wanted anymore. I wanted Jake. I was late in realizing this, yes, but that was who I wanted more then a hundred Alistair's of the world.

For the hundredth time I sigh, exasperated with how far away I've come from where we started out. "Fucking Alistair!" I growl at no one, slamming my palm into the steering wheel. I rolled my eyes and press my lips together. Lying to myself and talking to myself. Before the end of this trip I'll be arguing with myself and being carted off to the Looney house.

I think of mom and how much I miss her right now. She would have fixed this, made it right somehow by the magical words that mom's say that were always there but never true until mom says them. I blink quickly thinking of her, trying to clear my eyes of the automatic tears that come with thoughts of mom.

The start of my freshman year my mother was killed in a plane crash coming home from a business trip. Dad took it hard and threw himself further into his work making it go from hardly ever seeing him, to never seeing him. Bella made all the arrangements involving mom. It was beautiful. It was the last time I saw dad face to face. Bella raised me from that point on, she stopped the partying so much and her and Stew started hanging around the house more.

She spoiled me, I know it. She was making up for our absent parents by giving me anything that I asked for and in return, I stayed out of trouble mostly. I did well in school and graduated valedictorian and alpha cum laude. So yeah, I made some stupid choices but I can't blame it on being stupid because I know I'm not. I can blame Alistair though and I will for a long time.

My car is passing the signs showing me that I am close to Seattle now. I chewed my lip knowing this was it. This is where Jakes father said he had gone after the break up. I was nervous, I can't lie about that. Seattle was not a small place though, so it's not like he will be waiting at the city limits ready to turn me around and send me on my way.

I pulled off to the shoulder, stopping right in front of the Seattle sign staring at it trying to get my breathing under control. When did I start hyperventilating? I put my head onto the steering wheel trying not to throw up all over myself. What if he did tell me to leave? When if he makes a huge scene telling me to leave and never find him again?

I mentally reviewed my plan again. I knew the round and about area he was living now because he went to stay with his brother, Sam. I visited the place a few times while we were dating, so if I check into the motel in his neighborhood then there is a better opportunity for "chance encounter". I will tell him how wrong I was and how life hasn't been the same since he left. I will get him back.

I nodded to myself, alright. With that Pep-talk over, I pulled back out to the highway and continued on, heading towards my new beginning.

I pulled into the around about neighborhood of where I thought Jake would be around 3 am. I knew it was too late to go searching for a job and him, so I looked for the closest motel that had vacancy.

I checked into the comfort inn and made my way up stairs to the room given to me. I told them I didn't know how long I was staying, but paid up for a month in advance just in case.

I got into the room, after juggling of the bags, suitcases and key-card, and looked around my new home for the next month.

Guh, I miss my apartment. The queen size bed was the only thing I could say was amiable about the room. That was, however, ignoring the fact that the comforter was hideous. I sighed walking in and depositing my bags on the bed. I wanted a shower bad but I knew I wouldn't b able to relax with my things still in bags. So, with another sigh, I went to work, carefully unpacking. I have always been this way since I was a kid. Bella called me OCD. I just called it extremely organized.

Finally, my clothes put away and things put where I thought they should go, I brought my jimmies and toiletries into the bathroom with me and felt my body suddenly longing for the hot water.

It takes a half-hour before I am convinced that I am clean enough and I emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam back into my depressing room. It is so drab in here. I am going to have to do something about this if I had to be stuck here for a whole month.

I shack my head. No, that isn't important. I have to stay focused. First thing is to find a job; second thing is to find Jake. Hopefully I could accomplish what all that before the month was over and I could go with what I came here for. Jake.

I lay in bed, trying not to think about the last time since these sheets have been changed. Instead I feel asleep thinking of the many happy scenarios Jake and I could be reunited.

The next morning I wake up fairly early for not going to bed until 530. I dress in my best interviewing outfit and set out.

First thing I am going to do is go to the diner I saw across the street and grab a paper while I eat something. So I did, discarding all but the classified as soon as I am seated.

There wasn't much that I could pick from while staying for hopefully a short time. I sighed thinking maybe I could check out the bars. At least I had experience in bartending. I sighed again making a face at the useless paper for not producing better results.

"That paper getting fresh with you?" asked a harsh voice in front of me. I looked up to tell them to shove it but saw the humor in familiar eyes.

"Charlie?" I said, shocked.

"Or dad. Whatever makes me more familiar, I suppose." He joked but I saw the small hint of pain. I didn't care.

"Then Charlie it is." I said looking back at my dry toast and coffee.

"Nessie, seriously?" he said, doing a good job at sounding wounded.

I looked back up, narrowing my eyes some. "Yes Charlie, I am very serious. The last time I saw you, we were putting mom in the ground." I hissed, ignoring the small flinch that matched my own when I mentioned mom. "So excuse me if DAD just isn't the name that comes to mind first when thinking of you."

He got up and for a second I thought he was leaving, but he instead slid into the bench seat across from me setting his coffee on the table. "How is your sister?"

"Why not go to Rockford and find out for yourself?" I snapped. Okay, yeah my dad, but for being my last surviving parent, he was all but dead to me anyways. Save a few phone calls every year.

"Because she isn't accepting my calls." He said miserably.

I sighed at that. Bella was the responsible one. The good one, the one that did what she was told no matter how hard or how much it hurts because that was who she was. So if Bella was ignoring him I know he is feeling it. "She was fine when I saw her last. She was still with Stew and . . ." I trailed off. No, she wasn't. I slept with Stew and she was having a breakdown. Yet she still let me stay and cry on her couch when the whole Alistair thing came out. I flinched slightly at the inner rambling of Alistair's name only looking back up when Charlie cleared his throat. "Sorry, she isn't with stew is what I meant to say and she is fine."

"And you? What are you doing here and not in Forks?" he said, lifting a brow slightly. I wish I was a girl that would always go to daddy no matter what. Tell him all my problems and sit back while he fixed every single one of them. Truth was however, he was never there, so I will never be there either. "Just traveling, seeing the city before I get a real job."

He nodded, looking uncomfortable now that the small talk was out of the way. I took pity on him. That's what you to for the pitiful, right? Pity them? "What are you doing here? In the states I mean. FBI finally keeping you local?"

He smiled slightly and fiddled with the now empty coffee cup. "I was looking for a place. I thought I would sell the house, seeing how you girls don't live there any more anyways. Maybe get an apartment here." He looked at me searching my face for a reaction. "I thought I was time to stop running."

I smiled a genuine smile, despite my anger towards him. It took a lot of years for him to get to this point, even more before I will believe it, but I was proud of Charlie for trying. "I really like that idea, Charlie."

He smiled wide and grabbed my check before I had a chance, but I didn't argue. If paying for my toast and coffee made him feel better then so be it. I did excuse myself to use the bathroom though. There was no telling how long this job search was going to take and I didn't want to waste anymore time. I came out with a speech of sight seeing prepared, but found it wasn't needed. The table was empty with a small slip of paper left on it.

_Renesemee,_

_ Here are my numbers. I will always be close by if you need me._

_ Charlie_

I thought about crumpling it up or leaving it, but I took it and shoved it in my purse instead. You never know.

Seven hours, one broken heel, a new pair of black heels and a parking ticket later, I had nothing. Not even a potential. The strip club wouldn't even hire me. I did say I wasn't getting naked, but that is beside the point. Don't judge me, they had a bar, I didn't think I had to be naked for a bartending job.

I sighed walking into my small room almost tripping over an envelope on the floor where someone had shoved it under the door.

I picked it up, dropping my things on the shitting table and sat heavily on the bed, ripping it open. A paper with two news paper clippings and four hundred dollar bills rolled into it fell out.

_Renesemee,_

_ I paid your hotel for another month and got your money back for the first month. That should give you plenty of time to find a job. There is nothing to see in this city, so I hope that you find whatever it is that you are looking for. _

_ Charlie_

_P.S. Saw this and thought you would do well with it. Also, didn't you go to school with this guy_?

I looked at the news paper clippings and one was for a book keeper and secretary for a small independent marketing company.

The second clipping made me gasp and I had to read it three times before I was convinced that it was right. It was a head line in big bold letters:

**LOCAL ROCKFORD BAR OWNER ARRESTED FOR FOUR COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED MURDER**

_**A/N: Please Review!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: I know the pairing is awkward but seriously, in my mind it works because... well i don't give a crap about time line or ages or whatever about the ACTUAL Twilight story. I just wanted the names. I'm not greedy. Okay, okay, so tell me what you think and I will tell you how much I love you. Really. I might even drop an F-Bomb for you. _**

**_Beta'd by me so... yeah. _**

**_Oh yeah and I own nothing, blah blah blah Stephenie Meyer._**

Chapter 2

I am not completely heartless. I spent the night making a few calls to the old hood. I refused to call Bella, but I did call a few friends that I knew frequented the bar. Alistair, I don't know why I am surprised but I am, snapped to say the least. When three men tried to stop him from almost killing a man, he all but killed them too. They were stupid to try. He also broke the fingers and face of another guy, putting him in ICU even now. Rumor has it Jess left town for good. She left Alistair a note in the house they bought together, saying she was in love with Peter, his best friend. Whore.

While I am only going to get angrier with that situation, I decide to move on to the next. I went to the address on the other clipping that Charlie left me the next morning. I am really excited and more then ready for all the questions they threw at me. I end up leaving two hours later with not only a job but a spot under the consulting team because I actually had focused my major in marketing.

I am elated. I had a job, a real job, for the first time in my life. Not just slinging drinks for the local bar for tips and the chance at sleeping with my boss! I am doing things right. It felt good.

I went to the diner again, half hoping Charlie would be there, but he wasn't. I am still happy though, even alone. I ordered a burger and fries, even going big with a strawberry milk shake.

By the time I got home… err back to the hotel, I am very optimistic. I had only been here two days and I already had a job and a secure place for two months. All I needed now was Jake.

That, as it turns out, was not going to be as easy as I thought. No one was listed in the book under Jake Black or Paul Lahote, his brother.

There were a few leads that I got from asking around, but after turning into a night stalker on the addresses I got, they all came up empty.

On the up side, the job was working out really well! I am learning fast the things I had to pick up about the company and getting noticed for my dedication. My boss, Mike, is telling me I would be considered to move up to an actual agent. I had now burned through a month at the hotel and saving all the money I could before my second month is up. Luckily a coworker of mine suggested the apartment that she was moving out of. It is in my price range and much closer to work. Not to mention that I would do almost anything to not be in that hotel any longer.

It took all of two days to get the lease signed and my very few things moved in. I was sleeping on an air mattress that had Calvin Kline sheets and watching an old tube TV that was left behind that only got three channels. It was heaven.

Ironically after I stop focusing so much on my stalker tendencies is when two things happened at once. One of them was Alistair's trial hitting state wide news getting broadcasted on one of the few channels my TV got.

He was found innocent on three counts of attempted murder against the tree men that attacked him, the breaking news announcer was saying. However, he was also found guilty of one count of attempted murder and assault on the man that was still in ICU today. He was sentenced to two years in prison. My heart sank. What an idiot! If I was there… no, I wasn't there and he was going to have to climb out of this one on his own. I am not there to be the lone soldier standing at his side.

I hated that I had tears running down my cheeks.

I watched as they played the footage of the court room. He looked like shit. He had dark circles under his eyes and he was bruised with small butterfly tape over his left eyebrow telling me he has had stitches.

They panned wide behind the defendants table and you could see the people watching the trial. Directly behind Alistair sat Peter, Bella, and Dante. They were all holding hands listening to the judge speak to Alistair about his sentencing and parole possibilities. Bella looked like she was about to faint.

The news reporter in the courtroom started to speak when the court was adjourned keeping Alistair in the back wide shot over his shoulder. I was not listening, but watching intently as the camera man, bless his heart, zoomed in off the reporter and showed the full scene in the background. Alistair was giving Peter and Dante hugs and handshakes, which looked awkward since he was cuffed in the front. The guards stood tense but gave him space to say goodbye.

He got to Bella and lifted his arms slipping them over her shoulders effectively trapping her in his arms. The guards took a step closer until she wrapped her arms around him. I didn't know I was clenching my fists until my nails broke the skin. I watched, my face getting closer to the TV every second that passed that they were in each others arms. They talked some and hugged, tears were streaming down her face. God, she was really over doing it for someone that treated her like dirt.

Yeah, yeah, pot and kettle. Got it.

The reporter was just wrapping it up and I'm telling myself I am being childish and stupid. How could I be acting like this if I am here looking for my boyfriend? I force my hands to relax and grabbed the remote to change it when I saw it. He leaned in and kissed her. KISSED HER! They cut to commercial but my mind didn't need the visual any longer. It was burned into memory.

HE KISSED HER!

I am not much of a drinker, but tonight called for some serious forgetting juice. There was a small bar a few blocks down from my apartment and I hesitated before the kiss replayed back in my brain again and I was off in that direction before I knew my feet were moving. How could she do this? How could he? He was going to prison for attempted murder after his fiancé left him! Alistair's potential for being an asshole just never stops amazing me.

I walk in heading straight for the bartender, ordering a slow coke. I had to explain it, but eventually got a half assed try of the drink and downed it all at once. The second one I took the ingredients from him making it myself and sliding him a twenty before sipping at this one. I started to look around the bar noticing things here and there. It was pretty. Not as big as Shots' but still nice. I shake my head, reminding myself to stop comparing every bar that I am in to that place. I sipped watching faces and reliving my own bar memories when I heard a very distinct laugh from the back where the billiards were.

I take my drink, moving to a small table that had a good view of the pool tables and proceeded to stalk. It's him, I know it is. I have known that dorky laugh for years.

There is a group of four guys playing pool, jokingly arguing over a shot and playfully shoving each other. There, taller of the four, dark hair, muscular and with a deep rumbling voice, that is Jake. Damn he looks good. His tight tee-shirt clung to him like a second skin and his jeans were tight in the places that they needed to be tight and still lose enough to keep it a manly style. What was I thinking giving all that hotness up?

I lick my lips and put on a smirk, trying to think of a way to "accidentally" run into him when a drink is plunked in front of me and a huge form blocked my view. I blink to adjust my eyes and focus on the new obstruction and throw in a glare for good measure. Sitting opposite from me at my small stake out table is a man I've never seen before smirking cockily at me. "Can I help you?"

"Oh no, that question, I think you have all wrong because from where I was sitting, alone by the way, it looks as though I could help you." His smirk never left his annoying mouth with a slight lilt to his speech that rubbed me in a familiar way. It was the sound of home and everyone I grew up with. I took this comment and chewed on it as I not so discreetly looked him over. Not bad, in a dark hair deep honey brown eyes sort of way. There was a tan to his skin that suggested he worked out doors, but not in a callused construction worker way. His smirk revealed almost blindly white teeth, which to me was important, seeing I was very against smoking.

Yeah I know, and I was sleeping around with the ashtray Alistair. Go figure that out. I haven't.

"How is it that you think you can help me?" I ask taking the drink he sat in front of me and sipping. Damn he was good, it was a 'Between the sheets' with the perfect amount of lemon which is what people seem to over do when making the drink. Damnit he was good.

"Well, you see princess, I see you staring at that big fella' over there and the way I see it, you are setting up to do something to try and get his attention, am I right?" he watchs my face and then nods without me saying a word. I am not sure what expression I am showing, but it apparently confirmed his statement so he went on. "Now I am only a man, but from my perspective, if I was to get distracted it would be by another man's toy, if you catch what I mean."

I feel my face pull into a frown. This has bad idea written just as bold as the 'bad news' written over his head and why did Jake need distracting? He didn't look like he was occupied other wise. "So your using the, 'hey use me to make him jealous' bit so that what? What's in it for you?"

His smirk turned into a grin and he shakes his head as he leans in close and I can now see over his shoulder to Jake perfectly who had his arms wrapped around a small blond petite body. I almost choked. "I see you see your problem now. See personally, I wouldn't much care, but you see that pretty little thing he has his sausage hands on?" I nodded unable to speak or take my eyes from the couple. "That is Kate. She is a sweet thing and the purist of hearts, also the running champion for UMA three years in a row."

"UMA?" this snaps me out of it and I look into this mans eyes, now leaning forward too. Eager to get information on this woman I have instantly deemed a tramp just because. Why haven't I gotten this guys name yet?

"Urban Model Awards." He answered shrugging like it was the most common term in the world.

"And…" I raise a brow at him seeing that there was more to the comment.

"And she is my ex-girlfriend." He said taking low and taking a sip of his drink.

"Ahhh there it is, the truth." I smirked studying his face. "So her name is Kate, his name is Jake, I am Nessie and you're…" my hand gestured for him to finish.

"Seth Clearwater." He held his hand up quickly at my response smiling some. "I know I am just so hot it's hard to believe she just threw me away like that."

"Actually, I was thinking you looked like a teenager?" I snorted laughing.

"Teenager?" He said indignantly. "I look young for my age, but I am perfectly aged, I promise."

"Okay and what age would that be, Kid?" I grin and start to let my smile slip as the group from the pool table start to walk by. Seth must have seen the panic on my face because he leans forward taking my hand in his and presses his lips against my ear as if telling me a secret. "Just act like this is the most natural thing in the world. We are together; you have a new toy and no longer want him. Trust me."

I snorted and giggled at the snort making him laugh breathily against my neck making me shiver.

"Nessie?"

I froze, letting that voice wash over me like a nice warm shower, but before I could respond a voice like honey whispers. "Seth?"

Seth and I both slowly pull apart and turn to look at the audience we suddenly have. I put on my game face and smile wide taking Seth's hand and looking properly surprised. "Jacob! Wow, it's been a long time!"

Seth kisses my fingers and puts on a charming smile. "Hello there Kate, how have you been? I see you got a new beau in your life." Seth leaned forward extending his hand to Jake. "Hello, I'm Seth."

Jake frowned, shaking Seth's hand looking between Kate and myself. I had to grin at Seth, the clever bastard was right. Jake was just dumbfounded with me sitting here with another man.

"We are on our way out," Jake said with an apologetic edge to his voice. "But it would be nice to catch up."

I look at Seth pretending to deliberate and he did the same and we smile at each other as if we just shared the best joke. "Well we will have to see when we are free, but why don't you leave your number so that we can get back to you on that."

"My number is still the same." Kate said quietly.

Seth smiled brilliantly at her not missing a beat. "Oh well sweetheart, you see I didn't keep your number as you told me not to and I don't take so many calls now, seeing how this one keeps me busy most days."

"And nights." I put in quietly with a smirk squeezing his hand. This was fun!

He grins at me. "Right, now that we are living together, it does it extend into the night now doesn't?" I tried to keep a straight face but I cracked up and hid my face in our joined hands, trying to get my burning cheeks to settle down. I have to be on my game better then this if this stupid plan was going to work. Wait, when did I agree to this plan? _Oh right, just about the time Jake was wrapping his arms around blondy_. I moved around the table sitting on his lap looking at Jake with a steady gaze.

"Well, I guess the point is we will have to see what we can work out. Is your number the same Jake? I am sure I have it written down some where." I said with a smile.

Jake rubbed the back of his neck and pulled blondy closer. "Yeah it hasn't changed." He quickly cleared his throat. "Okay well, we were just heading out."

I look down at Seth and watched his smirk show full force. "Yeah, you said that. I guess we will catch you later then."

"Yeah..." Jake let Kate pull him towards the door with a puckered brow of confusion as he glanced back. As soon as they disappeared out the door Seth started to laugh.

"You did well, Princess, I am surprised in you." I turn and glare at him, jumping off his lap.

"Live together, seriously?!"

"Well see, I put that in there for her benefit because we broke up over that very issue. I wouldn't commit to her and move to the next step." He shrugged with a grin. "This, in her mind, was not moving into my place but buying her a larger place for the both of us to move into."

I snorted picking my drink off the table finishing it off. "I can see why you would want that back."

For the first time in the brief time that I've know this man, he glared at me. "Yeah, well you don't know what you have until they aren't there anymore, right?"

I nodded unable to argue with it since I am doing the same exact thing for the exact same reason. "Okay, but you are not moving in." I stated as I head for the door. I hear the chair scrape as he stands up fast to follow me.

"Oh come on, you wont even know I am there."

"Not happening!" I said still walking down the street.

I hear his foot steps stop and a defeated sigh behind me. "Okay here is the truth. I was… I did get a place, but she had already left me. I thought that maybe, if she saw that I did make the effort she would take me back." I stop, looking back at him, waiting for him to continue. "I was wrong. She was already with the Jolly-Giant and I lost the new place and my old apartment."

I sigh rubbing my face. I have never been soft in my whole life, looking at it now; it probably would have saved me and Jake if I had been softer. Then again, I was such a push over for Alistair. I growled and stomped my foot in frustration. "Goddamnit!"

"I have been living out of a storage unit…"

_Guh, a storage unit!_

"Yeah, yeah, shut the fuck up, don't fuck it up, you got the vote I'm just having trouble with the execution." I huffed, scrubbing my face. "Do you have furniture?"

"Yes! I mean they aren't top of the line-"

"I don't care. I am sleeping on an air mattress and eating off a plastic bin." I said dryly watching his face.

"I have furniture!" He said excitedly, started to smile again.

I sigh and stomped my foot again just for good measure and whined my response. "Fine, but you pay half and if we are going to pull this shit off you have to at least try to listen to me when I say to put the fucking seat down!"

He laughed rushing me and spun me around. "Yes, yes, and I will even do dishes!"

Well shit, this might work out.

**_A/N: Review = Love_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: This is where thing start to get put into place for who Nessie really is and why she is who she is. For those who messaged me to ask, this story will pick up later where DoA left off. I didn't leave you hanging, I promise! Have faith and for now, enjoy the story! _**

**_This was my last chapter that was pre-written so updates will be later then every other day, but i will try to be as often as possible. I will have the video up in a few days on my profile as well!_**

**_Beta's by me, mistakes are mine. Twilight Characters however, are not! Plot is MINE!_ **

Chapter 3

We stop by the storage unit he had been living out of and I curb my inclination to hug him. Through a wall of boxes and a quick maze of furniture, there was a cleared space in the back of the unit where he set up his bed and a small desk lamp. It's obvious he has been here a while, living in this shed of a unit.

"Wow, you weren't bullshitting. You were actually living in here." I said taking a small bag of clothes he hands to me to hold while he gathered the other essentials that he will need until he could bring everything tomorrow.

"Yeah, it's not that bad actually, quiet. Technically it's against my unit policy so I have to sneak in late so the super doesn't see me." He shrugs and looks around. "At least it's warm out now."

"Warm? How long have you lived in here?"

He shrugged again, seeming to be looking for something, but I think he was just avoiding looking at me. "My last night at the apartment was three months ago."

My jaw dropped and I stared at him. "Seth that was… you could have frozen to death in here!"

He finally looks up at me and gave a small grin as he picks up a box and a suitcase heading back to the door of the unit. "Awe well its awful sweet of you to care."

I snort following him out and walk past him in the hall. "I don't, you just confirmed that you're a huge idiot." I secretly smiled hearing his laughter behind me.

Really I should feel violated or crowded in some way when we walked into the apartment a half an hour later, but in reality I am relieved. I had been living with Bella for so long and even when I lived alone, I was always at the bar or Alistair spent the night, I was never alone. Being here on my own, completely on my own, I didn't realize just how alone I felt until he walked through that door with me.

Seth looks around with a small smirk dropping his things in the living room, which is just an empty room and wanders around the tiny place. I just watch him, knowing that there is nothing at all impressive about this place. I smile a little, kind of liking that. For the first time in my life I didn't care about things, material things that could be broken or lost or replaced. Life is far more important then those things.

I smile again as he reappeared from the bedroom and rubbed his hands on his jeans. "I can see why you wanted to know if I had furniture."

I walk into the kitchen and pull two beers out of the fridge, walking back and handing him one. "Yes well I was living in a hotel for a while so it wasn't something I was worried about until now." I shrug. His brows lifted at the beer but he took it without comment. "So about sleeping arrangements…"

His hand goes up stopping me before I could finish, not that I knew what I was going to say. "I don't know if you noticed the couch?" I nod remembering the couch that I had seen in the unit that resembled something my grandparents had in their home when I was a child. "Okay well it's ugly, but it's a fold out so when we are not putting on our little charade, I will be more then happy to sleep on that and you can have my bed in the bedroom."

My lower back is already jumping for joy to be rid of the air mattress that I have been enduring for so long, but I keep my face impressively impassive. "That sounds fair enough. That does bring us to the whole plan in it self."

He cocks a brow and took a sip of the beer and I snort rolling my eyes. "I mean, we have to actually sit down and get to know each other at some point because if I say something like, 'we shared a peanut butter and jelly sandwich' and you're allergic to peanuts then our cover is a little blown isn't it?"

Seth's head was nodding as he set the beer on the window sill which made me twitch but I pressed my lips together to keep the snap to myself. He just got here and I will save the coaster talk for at lease a week after moving in. He reaches into a box pulling out blankets and a pillow setting up a make shift pallet for him to sleep on. "Well I guess I am going to have to make a list of allergies aren't I?"

I rolled my eyes and half closed the door so I could hear him if he started to talk and walked into the bathroom, pulling off my clothes and throwing them into the hamper. This is around the time when reality had starts to set in. _What am I doing really? I just picked up a strange guy out of a bar and invited him to live in my home after knowing him a total of four hours at most_.

I sigh looking at myself in the mirror, naked down to my underwear and dirty from digging around the storage unit and hair a mess from the whipping wind outside. I am the same reckless, impulsive, irresponsible girl from my small town. I frown at that and shake my head. Taking out the now disastrous ponytail and shaking out my dark hair that looked exactly like my mothers. I smile and the dirt faded on my face as the blue eyes I got from my father popped.

No I am responsible, I have a good job and I have a roommate. All people are strangers until you get to know them, right? I am taking risks to be able to succeed in a goal, which means I am driven. I nod at my reflection, liking it a little more. No, I am not that girl anymore and I am proud of it.

A movement at the door made me jump and scramble for my robe as Seth backed out fast covering his eyes. "Whoa, um I just was going to ask if you minded I showered before we call it a night."

"No, go ahead!" I said, probably a little too loud as I scurry out of the bathroom, clutching my robe tighter around me. "This is your place too now, so feel free."

I saw the door start to close and I dropping the cheery smile and sigh rubbing my face.

"I'm an idiot."

I bend, picking up my cell phone realizing I haven't looked at it since the bar and frowned at the two missed calls from Bella. I snorted, deleting the alerts. "Fuck Bella." Saying her name out loud made the scene from the news earlier replay. Alistair sentenced to prison for two years for attempted murder. Alistair kissing Bella. Wow, that was only earlier today. It seemed like weeks ago now.

"Who's Bella?" A voice said behind me, making me scream and him grin widely.

"Oh my god, could you wear a fucking bell or something!" I shout, irrationally angry. "I thought you were taking a shower!"

"Whoa relax, I did, I'm done already." He says walking past me in boxers and no shirt. Wow, yeah, alright so that's happening and extremely yummy.

"I… you… What? I didn't even hear the water come on! What are you a ninja?" He threw back a grin and I shake my head sighing. "Bella is my older sister." I said shrugging like it was nothing.

His brows lifted and he nodded slightly. "So you guys aren't getting along then?"

I smile sweetly at answer in a bright voice. "No, that's how we say hello. Don't all siblings greet each other like that?"

"I don't have any siblings so I don't know." He said flatly and put up his hands. "Look, I get it, you don't know me so you don't have to tell me, but a sibling is a good thing to know. You know for the show we need to put on." He turns from the room and heads to the living room, sitting on his make shift bed. Now I instantly felt guilty. He told me what happened between him and Kate and here I am offering him only sarcasm and hostility. I sigh again, thinking at this point ill hyperventilate if I keep sighing and walk into the living room and plopping down next to him on the pile of blankets.

"Look, it's a defense mechanism." I said lamely looking up at him. He gave a small smile and shrugged. "I am from a tiny ass hick town in the middle of nowhere."

He smirked. "Isn't that like two hours north from here?"

I nodded laughing and blushing slightly. I don't know why, I guess I though that even here, if you even just said small town, you would instantly be able to call me the whore of Babylon. "I had this friend, his name is Alistair, he owned this bar and I was a bartender there. Alistair and I got real close, like physically." I rush out, squeaking a glance up at him real fast before dropping my eyes back at my hands. "He was already seeing someone so it was a secret, what we were doing. I fell in love with him and he told me I wasn't more then a whore to him."

I close my eyes and took a breath, keeping my eyes closed, I went on. "The woman he was seeing, no that's wrong. He wasn't just seeing her she was his fiancé." I gulp as I own up the reality of what happened. I shake my head disgusted in myself. I've had myself convinced I was a victim, this had to end and it was ending right here. "His fiancé found out and she left him. He didn't touch me again after that. He said… he said I meant nothing." I am gasping for air as the memory assaults me with the full brunt of pain.

"_What is your fucking problem?" I snapped at him, finally having enough of him ignoring me._

"_My problem is the definition of affair is a discrete sexual relationship, Nessie. Not this obsessive fucking stalking that you have been doing."_

_I gasped. "I am not stalking you!"_

_Alistair rolled his eyes, walking to his desk and pulling out a cigarette. "34 texts in one work shift, Nessie. That's fucking stalking."_

"_Look, there was a mutual reaction going on here and then your end stopped." I seethed walking toward him._

"_You left your boyfriend for someone who will never make you more than a side fuck." Alistair said looking more interested at the burning cigarette._

"_Fuck you Alistair; you know I was more than that."_

"_Sure, you were my best friend, Nessie. We talked about stuff. I get it, but then you broke the only fucking rule I have." He took a drag looking at me steadily. "I am with Jess. I am engaged to Jess."_

"_You won't marry Jess." I said flatly._

"_I may or may not, but you don't get to decide that for me."_

"_You fucked me the night you proposed to her." I pointed to the desk. "Right here, hours after you proposed to her."_

"_Look, it hasn't been 24 hours, what the fuck do you expect of me?"_

"_I expect you to fucking acknowledge me when I text you!" I said through clenched teeth. "I expect respect!"_

"_Respect?" Alistair slammed his fist on the desk. "You want respect from a man that has you as his mistress?"_

"_You treat me like a whore!"_

_Alistair looked at me, his face void of expression. "Do you really want me to say it?"_

"_Fuck you!" I screamed, making a few people in the bar stop talking. I turned on my heel running straight into Jess with a small gasp of surprise…_

I am telling the whole story, I had to or the memory would just play over and over on some horrible tormenting loop. "She just left town for good claiming to be in love with his best friend and he went crazy. He almost killed four men and was just sentenced to two years in prison for attempted murder tonight." I choke out that last word, putting my face in my hands, not even realizing fat tears had been running down my face.

I keep my face in my hands knowing I had to get this out because as painful as this was, it felt good to say it in front of someone who knew nothing about my small town and its drama. "I was watching the news coverage of the trial today and I saw Alistair. He was saying good bye to everyone and…" I am sobbing now and hating myself for it. "He made out with my sister before they hauled him away! _How could she do that?_ I mean, I don't care other then she was the one telling me this whole time what a dog and pervert he was and yet…" I gestured to the old tube TV as if they were still there, making out for America.

I feel a hand on my back and lean into him crying like he was a priest and I was confessing my sins. I kind of was, even if it was only recognized by me. I try not to think about the fact that my face was pressed into the very naked chest of the stranger I just picked up from a bar to play my pretend boyfriend to make my ex-boyfriend jealous. He hums and looked down at me gently touching the bottom of my chin to make me look up.

"Cheating and lying aren't struggles of a confused man, but they are reasons to keep the length of arm between him and happiness he is denying himself." he says quietly and smiled sadly tugging at me as he laid back. I snuggled into his arms not saying anything, just letting his words cover me like a blanket and his arms protect me like a suit of armor against the harsh thoughts swirling in my head.

I have never woken up in the arms of a man that I haven't slept with the night before. Don't judge me; I hadn't been as promiscuous as it seemed in the past. Alistair and Jake wouldn't have spent the night unless they got laid and fell asleep after. My place was closer to Jakes work anyways.

So needless to say the presence of another next to me when my eyes open in the morning made me pause and really back track the night before. I was in my robe practically naked snuggled up to a guy I only met the night before who was only in his boxers. I looked down grunting before looking quickly away again. Those said boxers are looking to be smuggling something pointy or are desperately trying to learn to float.

I close my eyes and slowly try to slip away when a snort made me jump. My eyes fly open and I saw the amused look of Seth looking back at me. "Its morning wood, don't get weird. Just means I have to take a piss." He said laughing as he gets up walking to the bathroom.

I give him a small glare but manage to keep it low key, I was only really mad because he was right. I shouldn't flatter myself. Not every man wanted me like I used to assume. Fuck, who was I?

I get up, headed for the kitchen starting the coffee and looking out the window that over looked the parking lot. A small noise made me jump looking around confused. I feel like Alice in wonder land, crouching down with my head cocked, following the small dinging sound. It was coming from the mess of blankets on the floor and I saw Seth's phone. I look to the bathroom hearing the sink running and chewed my lip in moral debate.

'Ah fuck it', I pick the phone up sitting heavily on the blankets seeing he had three missed calls from Kate. I smile thinking, 'Wow, this really could work if she was already hounding him.'

'_Or they were never apart_.' A rather unlikable and pessimistic part of my brain chimes in. I frown shaking my head. I may not have known him long, but I didn't have to know him a long time to know he wouldn't betray me like that.

"Did my phone offend you?" Came a voice behind me, making me jump so much I was on my feet again.

"Jelly fucking doughnuts, seriously, look into that bell thing please?" I say holding a hand over my heart. I then realize it looked really bad, me holding his phone jumping when he caught me. "This isn't as bad as it looks."

He smirked at me holding out his hand. "Isn't that what all the girls say when you catch them being bad?

I am pretty sure the blush I was sporting ran all the way to my toes, as I self proclaimed myself a 15 and the fail scale. I sigh handing over the phone. "I heard it making noise and I didn't know what it was. I figured it out and was just thinking about how the plan was already working if she was calling you already."

He nods with my explanation and then snorted making me jump again. Maybe I should rethink that coffee; it seems it's just not needed today. He looks up putting up a finger while he called her back, putting her on speaker. "Kate, how nice it is to hear from you again."

"Cut the shit, Clearwater. What the fuck was that last night?" the woman snapped.

My eyes are wide with shock. That definitely did not sound like the woman I met at the bar last night. She must be one of those Mr. Hyde women. "Now sweetheart, I have no idea what you're talking about. I was out with my girlfriend."

I smirk at his game feeling almost giddy now that it was really in full swing. The woman on the phone all but shrieked. "That was not your girlfriend! First off, it's only been like a month."

"Six" Seth corrected her.

"Whatever and second, I don't believe for a second that _girl_ belongs to you. I'll bet twenty bucks you don't know shit about her and you just picked her up."

"Right, because that sounds so like me. Do you even know me?"

I looked around desperately and ran to the corner fetching the paper and pen I was using to write down numbers the day before and wrote in big letters showing him the paper:

"_**TEST ME**_!"

He nodded and smirked. "Okay fine, you don't believe me? Then test me. Ask me something a boyfriend of six months should know."

"_You started dating her the second I was out the door?!"_ She is really getting squeaky at this point. I hear her take a breath before continuing. "Ok, fine. What are her mother and fathers names and jobs?"

I scribbled as fast as I could while he stalled by laughing and accusing her of having weak questions.

I wrote: "_**Charlie Swan, Intelligence Analysis for the FBI and mother is Renee Swan, passed away when I was little**_."

Seth repeated what I wrote looking at me steadily as if he just realized who I was. It wasn't heard to know my family. We were pretty famous, seeing Charlie was in the news about the time of Mom's death for busting one of the biggest crime bosses in New York City who also brought down a higher up Chinese crime family. That bust was what gave Bella and I the only thing ever agreed on. We would not live our lives for our jobs, not like mom and dad did. Never.

Kate was silent for a moment, also realizing who her new competition was at the name. She snorted, very unlady like might I add, and laughed. "Well I see now why you didn't wait for the bed to go cold before moving her in. You got yourself a dirty money sugar mama."

Oh and my grandfather on my mother's side might have been James Marcello, crime boss of Chicago now serving a life in prison term for murder. He separated the money earned, which totaled about 10 million each, in trust accounts for Becka and I so the… ahem…FBI couldn't touch it. Seriously, please tell me how your family is fucked up because I could probably top that on a normal day.

I dropped the pad charging the phone but Seth put up his hand holding me back as if it were possible for me to reach through the phone and pull her nasty extension-headed though the receiver. Yeah I noticed, bitch.

"Well you see, she moved me in actually and as for a sugar mama, well I haven't let her pay for not one thing in this relationship since we met." He grins winking at me and I had to throw a hand over my mouth before I laughed out loud. He has so far in this relationship bought me a drink.

I suddenly got an idea and pressed myself against him, clasping my fingers around the back of his neck so my mouth reached his ear. I sucked and nibbled making his breath hitch and his free hand wrap around my waist. I smirk, saying in a breathy voice loud enough for her to pick up but low enough to make it sound casually said. "Come back to bed baby, I'm lonely."

His voice was strained as he looks down at me. "Kate, I have to go, but it was sure good talking to you again." I stepped back from him beaming at how well he was doing. As strange as this whole situation was, I was actually having fun. I heard the normal farewells and turned to pour our coffee that was no doubt done brewing by now. I jumped hearing a loud thump and looked back seeing Seth face first into the pile of blankets.

I couldn't help but laugh, trying to keep at least a little concern in my tone. "Are you okay?" the concern disappeared as one hand shot up without him lifting his face and gave me thumbs up. It was a while before tears weren't streaming down my face from laughing so hard.

**_Review = Love_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: This is a short chapter but i was trying to be a little faster with this. The next chapter is in the works so be kind in waiting and enjoy!**_

_**Unbeta'd so.. oh well. Characters dont belong to me blah blah blah.**_

Chapter 4

It took a week and four days to hear from Jake. I attempted texting him once before that, but Seth jumped all over that bad idea.

"_Why not?" I argued, the phone still covered by his hand._

"_It makes you look like you want him back." Seth explained shortly before shrugging. I pulled my phone from his reach, but set it on the table and adjusted myself on the couch to face him better. Yes he moved all the way the morning he put in the 'teaser call', as he puts it, to Kate. _

"_Well isn't that the point?" I asked creasing my brow in confusion. "I mean that is what we are doing."_

_He sighed looking at me like I was a brand new kind of stupid. "Yes that is the point, but he isn't supposed to know it. If he thinks that he won you back, it won't look so…" his hand circled and flapped in the air as he searched for the word he was looking for._

"_Desperate?" I provided helpfully, smiling like an A student when he grinned nodding._

"_Right, so we basically have to make it look like not only his idea, but his manly accomplishment in getting you back to him."_

_I lifted a brow and cocked my head at him. "You know you seem to know an awful lot about this whole thing."_

_He laughed getting up and heading for the kitchen, only answering when he returned with two beers in hand. "Let's just say, I have been played a few times already by Kate."_

_I snorted and rolled my eyes. "You know the more that you tell me about this wonderful woman, the more I just want to say the heck with Jake, I want Kate for myself."_

The call from Jake was more of a surprise because it came while I was at work, then that it came at all. Did I tell him where I worked? No I don't think I did. I am grinning and bouncing a little in my chair. He's been looking into me!

"Jake! What a surprise!" I answer, trying not to sound smug. I don't think it worked as well as I liked it to.

There was a familiar laugh at the other end and I couldn't help but blush a little. "We only just seen each other a few days ago Ness." I shook myself. I can't be blushing and batting my eyes. First off, I'm on the phone, second, I have to play this right, different, or else this isn't going to work.

I put on my best shamed hushed whisper. "Well you were with you're new girlfriend. I didn't want to upset her. I know how jealous I was before I grew up some."

I can practically hear him smiling. "Ness you're still 21. There hasn't even been a year since we broke up."

I laugh like he just said the best joke I have ever heard. "Oh no, I know you silly man. I just meant that mentally. I mean I lost you and my horrible behavior with Alistair." I sigh for dramatic effect. "Well I left that tiny town because I was just so ashamed in myself." I gave a small self depreciating laugh. "But you don't need that whole long story, you called me, what can I do for you?"

"Actually there is something." He says covertly. I am practically already doing a happy dance in my chair. "You can say yes to lunch, tomorrow maybe? I would really like to catch up."

"I would love that! Oh, but what about your—"

"She understands. We were best friends first Ness, I think we are allowed to still have that." I spike an invisible football off the floor and do a quick touch down dance as I answered him.

"Oh I agree Jake and you know I think Seth would agree too. I'll tell him all about it tonight and I'll bet he does nothing short of driving us to where we want to go." I say happily. I hear him clear his throat at Seth's name and I almost laugh out loud. "Okay well, I should get back to work, thanks for calling Jake. I'll see you tomorrow."

I hang up and make quick work of another a victory dance before letting the department head know I was headed to lunch. Lucky for us Seth and I found out that we only work a block from each other. It helped for when I had something urgent to talk with him about or I just wanted a lunch buddy.

He works for Carrier and Carrier, a large insurance law firm as a secretary, a fact I don't let him live down a second of. It didn't seem like he had a lot of friends there, even though he said he's been working there for almost two years.

I take the elevator to the 12th floor of his building where was and gave a small wave when he looks up as I walk through the door.

He gives me a wide smile every time, which I had to admit was nice, and I hustle over to him whispering secretively. "Guess who called me today?"

"Ed McMahon." Seth jokes putting the files on his desk away.

"Yes and the first thing I thought to do was come and take you to lunch." I laugh rolling my eyes.

He throws me a wink and picked up the last file on his desk and frowned at it. He opened it and read quickly before rolling his eyes. "I have to return this to the wicked bitch of the west. I'll meet you down stairs?"

I smile nodding and watch him walk up the hall before turning and heading into the elevator area. It opens as I get there and I got knocked to the side by a dirty looking man in an obvious hurry. He mumbles an apology and hurried into the staffing area without a second glance.

"Some people were just born without charm, dear. Don't let it bother you." I smile at the older woman that spoke and we chat on the way down about the degeneration of manners in today's so called man. I was fully convinced she was a lesbian by the time we hit the front doors of the building, which fueled me to give the old broad a kiss on the cheek.

Seth came out five minutes later looking pale and shaken. Was his boss being that big of a bitch today? I mean she normal was pretty bad, but what could she have said to him to have the happy go lucky Seth that I have been living with so shaken? "Seth? What's wrong? You look you have seen a ghost."

He frowns and shaking his head. "Just something really weird happened. It's no big deal." He shakes his head again and smiles something close to a normal smile. "Tell me your news."

I stare at him a second but shrugged. If he didn't want to talk about it then it was none of my business. We were fast friends now but still haven't known each other for little more then a week. I don't think my privilege for badgering has been granted yet. I smile at the switch of topic. "Yes, Jake called me!"

We talked as we walk to the small park close by where I indulged in a secret sin of cart burgers and fries. Don't judge me, I walk to work everyday, that counts as exercise. "Wow and he managed to wait a week and four days, I am surprised, but happy for you. So what did he say?"

I shrug shoving the last of the greasy burger in my mouth, wiping my lips with about ten of the crappy napkins they give you. "That he was looking to catch up at lunch tomorrow and still stay friends." I laugh a little. "I asked about his girlfriend and he said she was okay with it."

Seth actually made me jump when he suddenly burst out laughing. "That my dear, is a bold faced lie. He hasn't told her or else he wouldn't have called."

I made a face and he rolled his eyes at me. My dislike for this woman went past the fact that she was in my way for getting Jake back, but the fact that she just treats everyone like they are below her. It's disgusting.

"She isn't all that bad." He defended stealing a fry.

"Right, so _anyways_, I was thinking that tonight we should really break down the getting to know everything about each other." I said handing over the rest of the fried goodness before I risked not fitting in my desk chair anymore.

He nods shoving four fries in his mouth making me make a face that he didn't catch. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Good so I'll meet you out front of your building at six and we can stop and grab some drinks and dinner on the way home?" I stood silently cursing the huge project I was working on that was going to force me to rush my lunch 15 early.

He nods again looking up at me as he shoved six more fries into is mouth. God, how did he get his mouth to even get that big? I snorted as he coughed, obviously reaching his stuffing limit and handed over my diet coke before heading back to the office. I looked back expecting to see him behind me, but he stayed on the bench just looking around with a small frown of concentration on his face.

"Birthday?" He asks pouring more wine into my glass as I shove a huge chunk of orange chicken into my mouth.

I glare at him and chewed slowly just so he had to wait. "August 25th"

He grinned at me and popped a fried won ton in his mouth. "January 17th" He said without worry about talking with his mouth full.

I nod thoughtfully and burped taking a swig of my wine. "I think we might have covered just about everything." I look at the paper I found on the internet that had a top 100 list of things you should know about your partner. Some were stupid to mine and his situation but it was useful.

"I cannot believe you have a list."

I gave him a serious look but the small smirk I had betrayed me. "I am nothing if I am not thorough."

"Oh yes, I need that tattooed on my body so I don't forget that." He said pretending to scout for places to put the imaginary tattoo.

I nod eagerly and laugh looking at my list again. I jumped to my knees suddenly excited that I found a good one, almost knocking my wine over. "Oh, oh, oh! I got one. Lucky number 13! Is a connection or physical attraction more important to you?"

He laughs as he did for almost all the questions, but I wasn't annoyed. The strangeness of our situation had me treating it more like a game then anything else and I was actually enjoying myself. "Well, I do think physical attraction is very important, I would have to say that I do like to have an actual conversation without my partner looking at me like I was speaking another language."

I grin nodding. "So basically you're saying… both?"

"Yes exactly." He said simply making us both laugh hard. This drinking while trying to retain information about each other probably wasn't the smartest of plans.

Seth reaches over the small coffee table where we were camped out and stole the paper out of my hands. "Hey!" I don't know why we sit on the floor together instead of the beautiful dining table he brought. There was just something more relaxed about eating Chinese food on the floor off the coffee table then at the table.

"Shut up it's my turn to ask questions." He says as his eyes scan the page. "Ahh, blood type, that's useful, you know just incase you spontaneously start to bleed out."

I laugh nodding in agreement. "Oh damn I forgot to tell you that happens like once a week. I am actually over due for one." I grin. "0+'

"Ahh nice, see good thing I know, we have the same type." He said looking over the list as he sipped his wine. Finally he crumples it up causing an indignant gasp from me before I spill into giggles. "What? It's was done anyways, what should we know at 6 months? Are we having sex?"

He almost just got spit on.

Like really.

"What?"

He hands went up to fend me off in case I chose to attack; I guess that's the expression I wore. "No, I mean in our hypothetical fake relationship, are we having hypothetical fake sex?"

I let a smile slip and calm down. "I guess, you being such a stud and all, I just can't resist."

He grins and nods. "Right, so are there any marks on you that I would notice while you're naked such as birthmarks, freckles, moles or something?"

I thought, really trying to do a memory scan of my body. I open my mouth to explain, but then thought better if I just showed him, so I stood up and turned my back to him and lifted my shirt at the same time. I look over my shoulder at him and laugh at his confused face. "I fell off my bike when I was thirteen and my back went into a chain linked fence and totally ripped a seven inch gash under my shoulder blade."

He stood right behind me and turned me so my back was flooded with better light. "Wow nice, how many stitches?"

"Twenty-three." I said automatically and shivered a little as I felt his light touch on the scar. So light, I didn't notice he stopped until I hear the jingling of his belt. I spun around quickly and he was already pushing down his pants making me slap my hands over my eyes. "Seth!"

"Nessie!" he called back to me in my own exasperated voice, grabbing at my wrists. I relented, but kept my eyes firmly shut. "Open your eyes!" he said laughing.

"No!" I say childishly. "You're dingle-ling is hanging out!"

"It is not I have boxers! Just open your eyes!" he kept a tight grip on my wrists. "Look you have to see this, its part of our fictitious sex!" I keep my eyes stubbornly closed. "Open your eyes or I'm going to give you a hand full of my junk."

I have never opened my eyes faster.

There was a huge jagged scar down his right thigh that wrapped all the way around and down his knee. "Oh my god!" I loose all aspect of propriety and drop to my knees, my hands out to gently touching it, as if I could still cause it pain. "What happened?"

"Motorcycle accident, my first bike I got after I graduated high school." He says with a small shrug. "It was a patch of black ice and I slid into on coming traffic, ironically it was my neighbor at the time that hit me. Somehow it made it better." He snorted and touched a hand over mine. I finally look away from the scar and back up at him. "I am fine now though, nothing but a good story and awesome scar. Chicks dig scars I hear."

I laugh and stand up, still in his space but it wasn't uncomfortable.

Until he spoke.

"You know they are going to expect some sort of PDA between us." He says cautiously as his eyes swept over my face watching my reaction.

"You aren't invited to the lunch tomorrow. It's isn't needed." I said throwing out a smirk, but I felt my heart pick up. Panic, I was panicking at the mere suggestion of PDA. Not even anything specific, just PDA in general.

"If they catch us off guard it will be unnatural and forced and obvious that we are faking this." He rationalized. It was a good point. Damn him. "Kate is already suspicious, she knows how I am and how I act and she will call our shit right away and out loud in front of your boy toy."

I sigh because I hate him for making it sound so reasonable to be discussing this right now. "Alright fine, but I hate you a little and a kiss is all your practicing." I concede wagging a finger at him. "And please for the love of holy jelly beans can you pull up your pants?"

He grins pulling up his pants and securing the buckle once more before opening his arms. I rolled my eyes and walked the few steps to him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

We stare at each other, both making faces showing that we are trying not to laugh. I mean how you could take this seriously is beyond me. There was nothing even close to romantic about this. I snort a little, trying to hold back a giggle, making him laugh too.

"Okay, okay! Let's be serious!" he says, still smirking. I take a breath to calm another round of laughing that is threatening to burst out and he leans in.

It was slow and slightly awkward as we adjusted to each others bodies and styles. It didn't take long though before it was old news and we were pros. I tilted my head slightly and I felt his tongue glide gently across my lips silently asking for permission. I opened slightly and we tentatively tasted each other, making us both react at the same time.

That was it, the sense coming moment. This is the moment where you are finally able to get your brain to find the breaks and move into action.

We were still breathing heavy as we broke apart, still holding each other. I opened my eyes and saw that his were open too. He leaned forward and rested his head on mine. "This is the awkward good night before the awkward morning, isn't it?"

I smiled and moved back winking at him. "No, this is the, you're on clean up and I will see you in the morning." I say patting him on the cheek before turning to the bedroom and grinning at the laughter that came from behind me.

**_Review = Love_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Phew, okay really, nonstop to get this out. you guys are lucky i have felt motivated enough through my feeling yucky and everything. So show me love and how much you appreciate me getting this out to you so fast! **_

_**i beta'd so mistakes are mine. Don't forget to check out my profile for the official Nessie video!**_

Chapter 5

I am nervous. I mean change my clothes five times kind of nervous. Plus, for all of Seth's not wanting it to be awkward talk last night, he left early this morning for work, so I couldn't ask his opinion on my outfit.

What do you wear when you're going to lunch with your ex-boyfriend, almost fiancé that you're secretly trying to get back? I need to document this process and write a step by step book. I would make millions.

I sigh at my reflection. I would love to just crawl back into bed and just wish the day away. It wasn't that I wasn't excited for lunch, because I was. In fact that was why I got absolutely no sleep last night and now finding the perfect balance of work appropriate and noon-time lunch date outfit. I was already exhausted. I finally settle on a simple black dress with red heels. I'll use my red blazer for work and lose it when it comes time for lunch.

I walk through the apartment getting my things together and stop seeing an unfamiliar briefcase on the kitchen floor. I give a quick unnecessary look around to make sure I wasn't completely insane. "Hello? Seth?"

With no answer I picked up the case and set it on the table. There is a brass plate by the handle with the name 'Sam Uley' engraved on it. I frown, touching the plate as I read the name over and over as if it will magically tell me who this person was. Why was this here in the apartment? Did Seth know about this? Did he mean to take it to work with him?

A car alarm going off out side makes me jump, reminding me that I was running behind and had no time to figure it out. 'Sam Uley' and his briefcase were immediately forgotten as I am running out the door towards work.

Stupid foot traffic, it was worse then regular traffic. This whole going green thing is a super great idea until you're running 20 minutes behind! I try not to sigh too impatiently when I get stuck behind an older couple. I play with my phone to check the impulse of physically moving them along.

I got a text from Seth and smiled. It has really been amazing having him as a roommate. I missed him this morning more then I would admit out loud. We usually walked to get coffee together before work and some times drinks after work.

Seth: _Working late tonight, don't wait up, text you later!_

I frown at the phone. Well, it looked like I was on my own today, no matter if I liked it or not. I hurried into my building, just making it on time.

The text from Seth was really bothering me. We may not have known each other long, but I knew him well enough that something was wrong. Maybe his horrible boss was making him stay after words. She really was the embodiment of not judging a book by it's cover. The woman was beautiful, but somewhere along the way of her life, she became bitter and miserable. Poor Seth got the brunt of it because he was the only one who didn't let her bully them. Maybe ill dust off my bartending skill for him tonight, it was Friday anyways and we both deserved a fun night. I smiled with my new plan in place.

Working is hard today; I keep staring off into spacing, planning what questions to ask and what answers I would get. I even had a brief daydream about him taking me on the table at the restaurant. By the time it was time to leave for the date, I was all but running for the door. I had texted Seth twice during the day to see what was up but got no response, so I would have to just fill him in on it when he got home tonight.

I ditched my jacket, checked my hair and threw on some red lipstick to match my shoes. I am looking good and I know it so I smile at my reflection in the elevator as I head to meet Jake at the restaurant down the street.

As I walk up I see a tall man in jeans and nice shirt and I couldn't help admiring the back view as I walked up on them. I had to smirk as they turn around.

"Jake?"

He grins at me and winks. "What like you weren't expecting me?"

I laugh easily and touch his upper arm lightly. Wow buddy he has not been slacking on the working out. "Part of me didn't think you would."

"That's alright, part of me expected to see your boyfriend trailing behind you." He confesses offering an arm as we head inside.

I didn't reply until after we were seated, using the time laps to think of how I could use the comment to my advantage. "He isn't the jealous type." I said smiling.

Jake threw his head back and laughed hard making me grin wide. I had missed that sound more then I thought. It was the sound of home. "Well that is defiantly a first for you, Ness. You used to just eat that up back in the day." He eyed me as I pretend to be shocked, but smile at him. "Maybe you have grown up."

I order a drink and salad and nod at him after the waitress takes Jake's order as well. "I have." I look down at my fingers. "I was a spoiled brat and complete bitch. It took a huge slap in the face to wake up from that." It was astounding for me to realize that I wasn't acting. I meant every word of it.

Jake nods and waits for me to lift my eyes again before speaking. "I am very proud of you and you're not the only one who had some growing up to do." He says with a humble shrug.

I hold up the glass of wine that just came and insinuate a toast. "Well here is to growing up quick then and finding people to put up with us." I said laughing.

His smile seemed genuine but reserved and so I cocked an eye brow at him. "Speaking of which, tell me about this new lady in your life." Here we go, get him to feel safe talking about her to me. That will bring us close again. This in turn, will bring back memories of our closeness. I had this in the bag.

He shrugs and sets his glass down. "Kate is…beautiful and smart. She is fun and determined." He sounds like he is talking about his sister rather then his girlfriend. I smile and nod encouragingly, but it was clear that it was all the attributes that he was going to come up with.

"That is great, she sounds wonderful." I say touching his hand over the table. "It's a small world that I would be dating her ex, right?" I say shaking my head like I am still blown away about that fact.

He grunts and nods at me. "And him? How is he with you?"

I tilt my head, sorely tempted to ask what exactly he meant by that, but no, I hold my tongue and my smile. "He is amazing. He is funny and sweet. We work really close to each other so we walk to and from work together everyday." I frown a little thinking about the text I got earlier. "Well, unless he has to work late like tonight."

"How did you guys even meet? I didn't even know you were in town." He asks sitting back to give room to our food that has just arrived.

Inwardly I am panicking big time. How could we have spent so much time prepping to know everything we can about each other and not come up with a back story? I'm thinking as fast as I can trying to come up with an encounter that happened six nights ago instead of six months ago.

"Well he is a huge reason for me growing up." I said stalling. Come on Swan, your father works for the FBI and you had a long standing affair with an engaged man. LIE! "You see, not long after you left, there was drama with the whole Alistair thing." I took a breath trying to look like it was a hard story to tell, but I am actually testing to see how much of the truth I should spill. The flinch at the name Alistair answered that for me. "I came to look for you. I was in the bar from the other night."

"The Foxes Den." He supplied.

I smile and nod. "Right and he saw me lurking around, called me on exactly what I was doing. After a while he helped me realize that I don't need to look for you to get my life back because if it didn't work the first time then it probably wasn't going to magically go to perfect the second go around. I wasn't ready to find you, in reality."

Wow, umm, is this even still made this up at this point? I look up at his face and see him nodding like he understood what I was saying. What am I doing?

"He told me what happened between him and Kate and he needed to grow up too. So in the spirit of growing up, we made the leap." I grin shyly like it was a huge deal.

"You're married?!" he almost shouted, leaning forward to inspect my hands. I was momentarily thrown off causing me to so the only thing I could think of. I burst out laughing.

"No! Oh no, goodness. No I mean we moved in together. A real committed relationship." I said through the gasps of breath I sucked in between laughs.

He looked relieved and embarrassed at the same time and held his heart. "You could have knocked me over with a feather if that were the case!"

I tried to look indignant but only laughed some more. "Oh well thanks, such faith you have."

He gives me a half serious look and crosses his arms looking at me. "I had a ring and was on my knee and you flat out said no."

My face burned and I turned away. I was such a horrible person such a short time ago.

He reaches across the table taking my hand between both of his. "Ness, that was unfair. I am sorry." I shake my head giving him a weak smile. "No, you're right. I have been coming to grips a lot lately with how much of an awful person I was then."

"Well, if it is worth anything, you're amazing. No matter then or now." He says grinning giving my hand another squeeze before letting go. The look in his eyes told me he meant it, which should have had my heart soaring; however the revelations for the day I think might have numbed me. I opened my mouth to spout how much I have missed him when his cell phone started to ring. He gave me an apologetic smile and fumbled with this mornings paper that the phone was sitting on before answering it.

"Hello?" He answered casually, however the casualness ended there. He started looking around nervously like someone was going to jump out from behind the next table. "Kate! Hey, yes I told you I was going to a lunch meeting today. What? No, I'm in the meeting now." I rolled my eyes and smile a little letting my eyes wander letting his see I wasn't eavesdropping.

My eyes settle on the news paper and I suddenly couldn't breathe. Without thinking, I reached over snatching up the paper and reading the article that had the name that caught my eye.

**MAN FOUND DEAD BEHIND ABANDONED FACTORY BUILDING**

_A jogger, who prefers to remain anonymous, out early this morning was greeted with a rude surprise along his usual jogging path when he found a dead man dumped behind the old packing factory. The man has now been identified as Samuel Uley, a well known local with some suspected mob connections. The police were unable to find any living family or even anyone that would attest to seeing him at all yesterday afternoon._

"_He was the type of man that everyone knew, but no one would claim to know." The jogger said when he was later interviewed after the identity was released._

_It is unclear just yet if the death was mob related, however. It is being investigated as a homicide and any and all information involving the death or Samuel Uley him self, please contact…_

I gasped covering my mouth and standing up. Jake looks at me like I am crazy but I just shake me head and whisper that I was sorry before taking my purse and the paper and leaving. My phone is in my hand and I am spam calling Seth's phone only to get kicked to voice-mail. Goddamn him!

I refuse to think of any scenarios or explanations to how we now, at this exact second, have a dead man's briefcase in our kitchen! I don't even bother to continue calling, I went straight to the building and up to the 12th floor.

He was sitting there with his hands in his head and didn't look up when I came through the door. I march up to his desk and slam the paper in front of him making him jump and look up at me. "Ness, what the…?"

I shake my head not trusting my voice and just point at the paper. He fallows my gaze and his eyes instantly go huge, glancing between me and the paper.

I took a breath and leaned in close to him. "We have to talk."

He nodded numbly and then instantly started shaking his head. "Look I can't right now, I am in enough shit today. After work I will meet you outside of your building and we can go straight home and I will tell you everything, okay?"

I stared at him, more worried now for him then anything else. He looks like he is on the verge of tears and so I walked around the desk and holds open my arms. He didn't even smirk or make a joke; he just stood up and walked into my arms letting me hold him close.

It took every ounce of my being to not stay there with him all day. It was bad enough I was getting into trouble over my performance at work today, but for the second time today I all but ran for the door when it was time to go.

I ran out the doors and almost ran right into Seth who is waiting for me at the elevator doors. I sigh with relief. I didn't know I was so worried about him being there until this very moment. He steadies me and I take a calming breath. "Okay, home now and we can figure everything out then." He whispers after I recover.

I nod and we head home, grabbing a few bottles of soda and alcohol before making it home. Seth called for pizza while I changed into comfy clothes and scrubbed my face. I have a feeling this was going to be a long confusing night.

When I got back out to the living room, the pizza was just getting here and the brown leather brief case was sitting in the middle of the floor. Like some possessed Chucky doll, I hedged around it and sat by the coffee table. My eyes were glued to the name plate. I couldn't make it out from here but I knew what it said and I felt like weeping. Luckily a slice of pizza and large soda that smelled like it was infused with Bacardi is plopped in front of me.

Seth sat next to me and before I could do anything he pulled me into his lap and hugged me and I clung to him. I am not sure why we were morning this random briefcase guy, but Seth knew more then I and whatever that is scared the crap out of him, which is scaring the daylights out of me. "You looked really pretty today." He whispers making me laugh and climb back over to my spot. It was perfect and brought a tad bit of normalcy into a seriously messed up situation.

"That's because I'm fucking sexy." I say with a wink, picking up my pizza and taking a huge unladylike bite. Seth snorted and gulped at his drink. He was stalling and I am not in the mood for waiting any longer. "So, let's hear this."

He takes a deep breath and nods. "Okay well, I yesterday when I was leaving to meet you outside for lunch this guy pulled me into a conference room. He was really dirty looking and kinda smelled and so I was going to call security, but his eyes… Nessie his eyes, I have never seen true fear until I saw this mans eyes." Seth grabbed my knee but he isn't looking at me. He is staring at the briefcase as he spoke. "He was sputtering and talking nonsense, stuff about a deal going down and biggest fraud of all time, but then someone in the office slammed a door. The guy jumped like two feet off the ground and just bolted from the room. I tried to follow him but he was gone too fast. Seriously it only lasted all of a minute or two."

Seth finally looks at me and he looks lost and his brow puckered as he thought hard to remember everything that happened. "I was shaken and even after I came back from lunch I just couldn't get past the feeling that this wasn't just some weirdo, this guy was in it deep and it had to do with our company." He shakes his head and looks back at the case again. "It wasn't until I was going to leave that I realized that the guy never took his briefcase with him when he bolted from the building. I brought it home thinking I would maybe hold it and if the guy came back I could invite him to the house, somewhere safe, you know? Get him to talk to me." Seth started to speak fast and I put my hand over his encouragingly. "I got a call from first thing this morning saying I needed to be in early and that I had some explaining to do. I ran to work only to find out it was about that dumb file I left on her desk yesterday but while I was there I saw the paper…"

I nod, knowing how he must have felt seeing how all I did was see the case and about had a panic attack. Suddenly something came to me. "Did the guy… was he tall with dark hair and eyes?"

Seth just nodded looking at me with eyes that were quickly growing wider.

"I know him! Well, not really, but he ran into me when I was getting into the elevator yesterday. An old lesbian woman and I talked about how rude he was all the way down stairs!" A face! It was blurry and only glanced at but now I had a face to the brass name plate.

"I don't know what to do. I know that I should go back to my storage unit and maybe we should call this hole getting our ex's back plot off for now. At least me. I shouldn't have put you into this kind of danger."

"What?!" I was on my feet and my finger poking at his nose before he even finished the sentence. "Fuck you and fuck that! That was a solid plan and if you think you are quitting on me now, you're insane. Also you are not moving out! I like you here and you are staying because I said so!"

"You sound like a spoiled princess." Seth says rolling his eyes.

I am going to punch him.

"That is exactly what I am and you know what, it isn't always a bad thing!" I drop to my knees looking him in the eyes. "Really all I am saying is that if you think for a second that it will make things better, you're wrong. I will worry about you and start stalking you and get in the way of some cross fire of the future fictitious shoot out that I'm scared will happen and then I'll die." It is very hard to keep from cracking a smile and so when I see the corner of his mouth start to turn up I give in and grin at him.

"Seth, don't leave me alone again. Look I don't care about Kate or Jake right this minute. I will panic about that tomorrow. Right now, I am worried about you and I want you here in this apartment so I can worry about you properly."

Seth smiles and nods giving my hand a squeeze. "Thank you."

"Do you have any idea how much and how fast you have grown on me?" I said sitting down in front of my pizza again. "I ran out of a restaurant in the middle of my lunch date with Jake. I ran! In heels! While spam calling you, all the way to your building!"

Seth cracked up and shakes his head. "No wonder you were all sweaty."

I wiggled my brows at him and laughed. "It is my gift to you, showing all of my love and dedication to you."

**_Review = love_ **


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: Thank you so much for the kind words. things are.. interesting in this chapter. enjoy._**

**_I beta'd so mistakes are mine. I dont own the characters but the plot is MINE._**

Chapter 6

Seth is surrounded by newspapers and I am sitting on the couch with the laptop. Neither of us has said a word for over an hour, but we were working together. It took a lot of talking and convincing and actually back out on my part, to come to the agreement that we should open the briefcase.

I was, and still am for the record, terrified of knowing what was in it. I mean you can't just forget something once you see it. What if it's a map of all the missing people's bodies of the whole state? Pictures included. That isn't something you can peek at and be like 'Oh well, I think now that I have seen all this obviously dangerous information, I'll just hand it over to the police and hope they can protect me.' Yeah right.

What is in it though isn't a list of the bodies buried around the state. It was an account book though for an insurance company called "The Pack" Insurance. Our old friend Sam was an accountant it looked like for this company. There were ledgers and notebooks with hundreds of names with loan notes and amounts paid and owed.

"No wonder I can't find anything on these guys, who runs a company out of a notebook?" I say holding the bottle over my glass, trying to read and pour at the same time.

Seth shrugs still looking at the news paper in front of him. "Apparently they do, maybe you should start looking into the clients."

I scan the list while shoving the last piece of pizza in my mouth and almost choked seeing one of the names. "Seth? Do you have a sister?"

He pauses and looks up at me. "No, I am an only child, I've told you that. I have a few cousins but I haven't seen then in years."

"Leah?"

Seth jumped up so fast he scared me. "What does it say?"

I looked back at the notebook and read what it says. "It says she… is Leah "The Face" Clearwater."

Seth frowned and squinted at the notebook. "The face? What the hell could that possibly mean?"

I shrugged and turned the pages until I got to the end page. It was titled 'Dates with The Face'. I pointed at the page reading the names, addresses and dates all over the page. "What do you think this is? It sounds all… mafia."

"Look! There is one for tomorrow!" Seth says pointing at the date. He took out his phone and started to search the contacts. I frown at him and put a hand over his phone. "What are you doing?"

"I am calling my Auntie Sue. She will tell me what is going on with Leah." He said pulling the phone from my grasp.

I sigh at him and stand up reaching for it again. "Seth no, first thing it's three in the morning." I glare at him when he pulls it from my reach again. "And second, what if this is something deep and serious and your Auntie doesn't know about it? She shouldn't be involved!"

I saw the light start to hit his eyes but he still held the phone out of my reach looking down at me. "I don't want you involved."

I sigh and back up crossing my arms. "Seth, we have been over this. I am already involved."

"You're not, you can step away from this shit and not have seen anything to get you hurt." He argues watching my face. I knew there was something he had found that he was hiding from me and this roommate thing let alone partners in whatever this is thing wont work if he was hiding things. "What did you find?"

"Nothing, I just—"

"Seth Clearwater don't you dare lie to me!" I say through clenched teeth. "You have worked so hard to get me to trust you and now you dare to lie to me?"

He sighs and walks over to the pile of news papers moving them around for a second before coming back to where I refused to stop glaring at him from across the room. He hands me a paper and points at an article that had several things high lighted.

**Witness Goes Missing In Murder Case**

_A key witness in a large scale FBI case went missing today at around 1am and 8am. Kim Cameron had been under police protection for almost a month now, when she became the only witness to a double homicide that included her husband Jared Cameron and her sister in law Claire Cameron._

_From our own sources, it was speculated that Claire Cameron was also under the protection of the police for witnessing yet another murder case pending investigation. Interesting enough, both cases involve a small family operated insurance company called "The Pack" Insurance. There slogan "We treat you like one of the family." Has new perspective when faced with mafia-like dealings and operations. _

_Kimberly Cameron was under 24 hour watch and required to call the police station every three hours. Police said they received her call at 1am this morning saying that she was going to bed, not to be heard from again._

_The surveillance officer went to her home at 8am this morning she was missing. "The door was unlocked and no one was answering, so I went inside." Said Officer Harry Clearwater, local officer assigned to her surveillance. "The place looked fine, nothing was disturbed or out of place that I could see."_

I look up at Seth who was looking at me hard, like he was expecting me to run from the house screaming. I am twice as scared as I was before, but even more curious. "Harry Clearwater?"

"My uncle, he is a cop back in my old hood." Seth says softly, his body relaxing visually relaxing some. "I don't know the other people, but then I haven't gone back home in a long time. The article talks about "The Pack" Insurance, it said they were mafia-like."

"So is McDonalds©." I say with a shrug. "Seth, you are not going to scare me away with this. I am not going to just leave you in this by yourself either!"

Seth suddenly glared at me and snatched the paper from my hands and brought it over to his pile. He points at my stack of research and waggles his finger. "Put that shit away. We are done for tonight."

I open my mouth to argue, but I know he is right. We cannot go to bed with this on our brains or we will never sleep. I grudgingly put the research away, close my laptop and head to the kitchen to pour the last of the alcohol into two cups. When I go back into the living room, Seth has moved all the things to the kitchen table and is sitting on the couch waiting for me. "So…" he starts, cocking a brow as I sit. "Tell me about the date."

I am grinning. I had forgotten already about Jake, however in light of the situation, I didn't beat myself up over it. "Well, it was a lot of feeling each other out again." Seth snorts and I roll my eyes at the look he gives me. "Not like that, I just mean we have both grown up. In fact we even talked about how we have both changed and grown up."

Seth was listening quietly, nodding his head as I spoke. "I tried to get him to talk about Kate and he got all dodgy."

That earns another snort from Seth and he shakes his head. "I have no doubt. He probably didn't tell her he was even seeing you today."

Seth started laughing and I couldn't help but laugh with him. "He told her it was a meeting!" I say between laughs. "She was on the phone when I left!"

"You left him while he was one the phone with her?!" Seth is gasping at this point. "Oh god, I couldn't have planned that better!"

I cock my head oblivious to the point which makes him laugh harder. "He will see her as making you leave. He will blame her for coming between yours and his friendship."

"Which he will rationalize as innocent, making her seem even worse for the call." I finish, finally getting it. "Wow, you're right, we couldn't have planned that better."

Seth nods, taking my now empty glass and walks to the kitchen. "Don't call him either!" he called out. I shake my head even though he couldn't see me. "I imagine it will go better if I just leave him hanging?"

"You're damn right it will, then when he does act like you haven't even put a second thought into it and nothing is wrong." He explains as he comes back out to the living room. I stand looking at the clock. With all the high emotion and intensity of the situation we stumbled into, I found myself standing awkwardly as to how to end the night. I thought of giving him a hug, but it seemed inaccurate for how today went. I mean I ran across town for him. True it was mainly to kill him but there was genuine concern in there too.

Seth just cocked his head looking at me with a smirk as I tried to work this out. "If you make me decide I might get slapped. You know what they say about adrenaline."

That cracked me and I started laughing. "No, what do they say about adrenaline?"

He wiggles his brows dramatically and chews his lower lip. "They say that adrenaline is the best aphrodisiac you can get."

I couldn't help it; I laughed harder walking around the couch with my arms open. "How about I give you a hug then, Mr. Stud?"

He pulled me into his arms giving me a tight hug before setting me on my feet again looking down at me with humor in his eyes. "If a hug is what is offered then lady, I'll take it."

I wink and grin, heading back to the room. "Good night Seth."

"Good night Ness."

The next morning the sound of the shower turning on woke me up. I was about to throw out some choice words about waking me at the crack of dawn when I saw that there was a hot cup of coffee and a note on my night stand.

_Ness,_

_Get up lazy-ass. We have to stalk my cousin._

_Seth_

I grin and ball the note up throwing it at the door and hear him laugh. I sit up and take a few sips of my coffee before deciding that a shower isn't a bad idea and get up gathering the clothes I will be wearing and setting them on my bed. I turned to the bathroom seeing Seth just come out. I grin turning away from him reaching a hand behind my undoing my bra while the other kept it in place. "Did you leave me any hot water?"

There is a squeak behind me before the bedroom door slams and makes me jump three feet into the air. "Holy crap, Seth! Do you have to slam the door?!"

I gather all my clothes and go into the bathroom, throwing all of my things on the sink before letting my bra drop and start to pull down my underwear. There is another squeak behind me and I turn around pulling my underwear back up and slam my hands over my breasts. "Jesus Seth! First you're slamming doors and now your back to being a ninja?!"

Seth was standing in the doorway with his hand over his eyes. "Umm, I think maybe I should go alone."

My jaw drops and I step closer. "What? Haven't we gone over this? I am not leaving you!"

"Yeah but she is my cousin and if she will stay calm and relax with anyone around then it will be family, right?" he said, still covering his eyes. I readjusted so that one of my hands is free while the other is covering my naked chest still. I poked his chest looking up at him. "Don't you give me that shit, you're full of yourself and egotistical and… and…" I kick his shin.

"Ouch!" his hands finally drop as he reaches to cover where I just kicked. "Look Swan, I get that you're insane and narcissistic but seriously? Kicking my shin like your 5?"

"Stop trying to get rid me like an unwanted little sister!" I snap poking him again, awkwardly because he is still bent over holding his shin so really I poked his back.

He looks up at me and our lack of clothing coming to light as he straightens up again. I hold my glare because if I don't I'll start to blush. "Trust me; little sister does not come into play in our situation."

"Then knock it off Clearwater." I said, feeling my face starting to get hot.

He is backing out grinning. "You're blushing."

"Shut the fuck up, you squeak when you're nervous." I growled closing the bathroom door.

I shower in record time so that he couldn't leave with out me and soon we are on our way to the address that was in the notebook. I made his stop for coffee on the way since I only got a few sips of mine. There was no time on the page, but it was Sunday so we basically had all day. It only took 20 minutes however, before I was bored.

"What can we learn from this anyways?" he said sighing for the tenth time since parking.

"That you have no patience?" he says smirking at me. I threw my muffin wrapper at him.

"Seriously what will we see except seeing her talking to some guy?" I am playing with the lid of my coffee cup since it's been gone practically since it was put into my hands. "How do they come up with these mafia names anyways? 'The Face', what the fuck does that even mean?"

"Well she was very pretty, from what I remember. It's been about six years since I've seen her though. Maybe that is what it means. She is like the face for the company?" Seth shrugs watching down the street.

I frown turning in me seat to look at him. "Seth, what happened to your parents?"

He rubs his neck uncomfortably and shrugs again. "We lived in a tight knit community, on a reservation no less. You would think that it would mean that we would be safe from things that you find in the city."

I watched him struggle with trying to keep his emotions in check and it makes me wonder just how many people have ever even herd this story. From his body language, I would say not many. I thought it would be better if I just kept quiet and let him get it out. "I was about three when there was a home invasion. It wasn't a robbery. My father was on the police force with my uncle. He busted two white teens a few days before trying to rape a girl on the reservation."

I gasp covering my mouth. I may not be naïve in the ways of the world, but even in my little town, shit like that just didn't happen. Everyone knew everyone and someone would disappear. I put a hand to his shoulder but kept my mouth shut.

"The parents of the boys were the one to break into our house. Dad was killed be being beaten to death and mom… it was a while later before they finally killed her but they put a bullet through her head." His knuckles were white as he spoke and he was breathing hard. "My crying in the morning brought a neighbor over and that's when they were found. They took me away and my uncle Harry and Aunt Sue took me after that. Leah was all but my sister growing up but she never acted like it. She barely tolerated me and as soon as she hit 16 she signed herself out of school and left the house."

I leaned over and hug him awkwardly from my position in the passenger seat. "Oh Seth, I am so sorry! I lost my mom too, I know your loss!" my pain seemed like a pin prick compared to his, but I still knew loss. He rolls his seat back and pulls me into his lap hugging me fiercely. I am weeping for him and clinging to him crying for me and him and the fucked up forces that took our parents away, in every aspect.

He suddenly stills and looks down at me with a grin. "You know, you are the first person I have told that to since I was in seeing the Looney doctor once a week back in high school."

I give him a watery laugh and try to wipe my face. He is smiling when he looks up the street again and freezes. A second of panic crosses his face before he leans down kissing me hard making me… well… squeak. I wrap my arms around his neck kissing his fully; not knowing if it were the emotion of the moment or what was carrying is into this embrace. I didn't care. However it worked out, it was needed, on both sides.

I shift on his lap trying to keep still so I don't influence too much. For once I wanted to just see where HE was going with this. Not being selfish, it's a new thing I am trying. It's working out great so far in my opinion.

His fingers tighten around my waist and I'm tensed and ready for the part where we work on losing a few layers of clothing, when he slowly sits back watching my face and glancing at the road ahead. "Leah is in the car across the street three cars up." He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth and I am having a hard time focusing. _Leah. Car. Street. Got it_. "I thought she was going to see me, but it looks like we hid well."

I nod not even caring anymore that I am shifting every few seconds. I'll try again for that whole selfish-free thing another day. "Quick thinking."

"You know this was a bad idea for our whole, trying to figure out a murder while getting our ex's back plan, right?"

I cock my head laughing as I slide over to my own seat. It felt cold. I was not a fan. "I might have momentarily forgotten about that whole thing."

I might have momentarily forgotten to breath.

"Well, that is why I am here." He says with a smirk. I can see the struggle behind it though. Yeah it wasn't as easy as he was making out to be.

"To pour cold water on us?"

He laughs and I smile taking note of where Leah was and I start to take a few pictures with my phone as nonchalantly as I could. "So what are we looking for? I doubt she is going to up and kill the guy here on the street in broad daylight."

Seth shrugs and I find that it's easier to just hit video and record her. They were talking and the guy was staring at Leah's breasts, which were kind of out there. She really was beautiful, long black hair and classic cheekbones. It was no wonder now with all my speculating, why she was called the face.

The knock on the window makes us both jump and I even give a small scream. I immediately look to the phone but where it is at it isn't seen from the drivers side where a patrol man was bent over looking in. "Everything okay over here?"

Seth laughed nervously and nodded quickly. "Yes sir officer, we were just enjoying the day together."

"In the car?" The officer said skeptically making me speak up and dust off my old charms. My hands worked quickly out of view while I leaned forward to see the police officer better.

"You see officer; this is the exact spot where he and I met." I smile and turn my head slightly as if embarrassed. "We come here every other Sunday so that we can just be together."

"Well a woman in one the house over here says that there was a couple having sex in a car." The cop says narrowing his eyes at our clothes. "Was that you guys?"

Seth takes my hand and I laugh easily. "No sir, you see, he asked me to marry him just now so I was in his lap kissing him, but there was no sex, sir."

The cops and Seth's eyebrows both shot up as they looked and me. Seth recovered first and smiled wide at the cop. "Did he? Did he get you a good ring then?" the cop jokes and I laugh holding out my hand showing the diamond I had gotten years ago that belonged to my mother. Seth doesn't miss a beat holding my hand smiling proudly.

The cop tries to stay stern but ends up smiling and shakes his head. "Well congratulations you two but stop making out in the car. Your freaking out the old ladies." He says laughing heading back to his car.

Seth and I sigh in relief and he immediately starts up the car and I grab my phone from the dash and put it on my lap. "Fuck that was close."

"Engaged? Fuck I am good if it took one kiss and you're talking marriage." Seth says grinning.

"Shut up Clearwater."

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	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: Don't forget to check out the videos on the profile and i have had a few offers for stories sent to my PM. One at a time people. i am not that talented to where i can write seven stories at a time. I completely let myself get consumed by characters in my story and do not have the ability to do multiple at a tile. send me your ideas and i will write them down and i can make a plan and let you know. _**

**_Beta'd by me so love my mistakes._ **

Chapter 7

It wasn't until we get home before I really register what's happened. We kissed, unscripted and unprovoked. This really wasn't the plan. Maybe we need to focus on our ex's side of the plan. Maybe I will help bring our goals into focus again.

Seth was at the table, going through the papers again, this time the notebook was in hand as he cross referenced names with news paper articles. I watched him for a moment, trying to think of a way to nonchalantly throw out my theory.

"So… have you heard anything from Kate?" I say sitting at the chair across from him, playing with a pen.

He lifts a brow as he looks up at me. "Not really, some random texts that only result in boring common chit-chat." He crosses his hands on the table and smirks and I knew he has figured me out. "Swan…"

"Don't call me that." I say frowning at the pen.

He cocks his head. "Not a fan of your last name."

I shake my head finally looking up at him. "Not the problem. It's just… Alistair used to call my sister Swan." I shrug annoyed with the pain that still comes with saying the name. "It was mainly when they were pissed off at each other, but still." I shrug again, not knowing what else to say.

His lips twitch as he suppresses another smirk. "Okay, Ace, you know what I think?"

I sigh rolling my eyes at the name but I don't make a comment. "What?"

"I think you're freaking out." He says simply and I glare at him for being right. He laughs and nods. "I thought so. Look, rationalize it this way, it was needed. Leah was looking over at us and I didn't want her to recognize me, so we did what we had to so we didn't blow our cover."

I frown as I think about it, trying to make my brain see it that way. It wasn't working. The kiss started out a cover but it was more then that. Maybe I was just being a chick. "So you think I am just being a chick?"

He laughs and shakes his head. "No, because if it were here and then there would have been no stopping. There would be no way to rationalize that away."

"Doesn't this bother you? I mean, we are trying to get our ex's back, but making out randomly. What does that say about us?" I say rubbing my face.

He grabs my hands from my face and gives me a pointed look. "It says that we are two normal healthy SINGLE adults that live together." I nod and look around the table thinking about how not so normal we really were.

"So I am not a fucked up person falling back into my horrible slut ways?" I say, my voice getting wobbly without my permission. Seriously, what the fuck voice? I though you were on my side.

He made a sympathetic noise and stood with his arms open. I stand immediately moving to him holding on tight and squeeze my eyes shut so I don't cry. Have I always been so emotional? He kisses the top of my head and rests his chin on me. "Even if you were I can help you get that out of your system too."

I snort reaching up smacking the back of his head and he laughs. "Thank you." I know he was waiting for me to look up at him but I twisted out of his grasp heading to the fridge knowing that if I looked at him now that would be it. No Jake, no Kate, nor fucking Alistair could stop what would have happened if I look into this mans eyes right now.

"Beer?" I ask opening the fridge to look randomly.

He laughs behind me and I continue to star hard at the few things thrown into the icebox. "It's ten in the morning, Ace."

Oh yeah. Damnit.

"Well maybe I am feeling like it is that kind of day." I say with a shrug, but abandon the idea, closing the fridge, still facing away from him.

"Well now that the sexual tension is sliceable with a spoon, I think maybe I will go back to looking up these names." He says sitting back at the table. I sigh grabbing my phone and heading to the couch to check the pictures we had gotten.

I was more impresses with the quality of my photography then what the pictures were about. It was just picture after picture of Leah in the car with some guy. I frown looking close trying to mesmerize the man's face. "What was the guy's name that Leah saw today?"

Seth was flipping through the notebook until he gets to the back and takes a second to find the right date. "Tyler Crawly."

"Tyler Crawly." I say the name to myself as I go through the photos. Why did I know that name? It sounded so familiar to me. Why? "Tyler Crawly."

I got to the video and took a few minutes to find my ear buds and plug them into my phone so I wouldn't bother the research that Seth was doing. I hit play watching. My hands were shaking, I guess still shook up from the kiss. It shifts and jars as I set it on the dash. I can hear us talking in the background and I move the phone closer to my face, trying to really see Leah and Tyler.

I blink a few times and then pink floods my face. Holy shit, they are fucking in the front seat! While we are talking to the cop! I can see Tyler's hands on Leah's back as she bounces on his lap. Woman had skills if she could be so spirited in a damn driver's seat. I shift, feeling like I am spying… which I was, but I still felt like I could be caught even though it was a video.

Tyler's hands suddenly disappear but Leah keeps bouncing for another minute or so before sliding his seat back and scooting back over to hers. She searched the car for a second and then left Tyler's car. I squint hard to see if I could see movement at all from his vehicle but saw nothing. Damn girl, she knocked him out… I frown rewinding it a few seconds and playing again. Yeah I guess he passed right out. "Holy fuck she killed him!"

I throw the phone on the couch as if it burnt me keeping my eye on it case it jumped up on its own and chased me around. Seth is up and at my side in second and I jump up all but climbing him. "She killed him, when we were busy with the cop. She killed him while fucking him." I slide down his body and run for the bathroom throwing up everything I had had up to that point.

My hair was being held back and there was a hand on my back rubbing gently. Seth is murmuring and I feel the word start to dim and I tried to open my mouth to say something but I don't know if I ever actually do.

I wake up in bed wrapped around Seth and news papers all over the bed and me and my laptop balanced on Seth's knees. I watch him for a moment before moving slightly letting him know I was awake. He closed the laptop turning to face me. "Hey you."

I smile slightly looking around. "How long have I been out?"

Seth shrugged touching my hair and my face. "About an hour and half. You scared me there Ace, I thought you were trying to swan dive into the toilet."

"You mean you didn't let me?!" I asked with mock fury.

Seth shrugged and pulled on my ear gently with his fingers. Wow, I guess I did scare him. He is all about the touching. "It was semi-graceful, if you give points for head bounces off the seat that is."

I give a small laugh not protesting the cuddling-like position we were in. no throwing judgments, my head was screaming and the vomiting again was a touch and go situation right now.

"Did you see it?" I ask looking off at nothing, I don't know why looking at him bothered me at the moment. Maybe it was the thought of her being his cousin and how he felt about being related to a murderer. Maybe he already kind of knew. Maybe it was because I was giving her proper on her front seat skills before I had realized what she had done.

He nods but doesn't comment on it at all. I would have given a good chunk of money to know what he was thinking right now. I look up at him and I suddenly regret that last wish. He is looking at me in a way that makes me shift. We couldn't do this. The sour taste in my mouth from just throwing up tells me so. Yes, that was my main concern right now.

"I should… order some dinner." I say softly, even though the idea of food makes my stomach turn. Seth smiles, probably seeing the turn ten shades of green I just turned and shakes his head.

"You need to learn to cook."

"Me? Why not you? Don't you pull the 'because you're a woman' line either because I will crush your balls." I warn jerking my knee a little to prove my point.

Seth laughs and his legs tense in order to block the threat to his hangy-boys. "No! That's not what I was getting at! It's just that it seems to me that you wouldn't be appreciative of the line 'More cushion for the pushing' that I would have to throw out."

I laugh smacking him on the chest as I try to get up. "Shut up. I am not getting fat."

"Not if you keep turning green like that. Would you stop trying to get up?!" he pushes me back down and gets out of bed himself. "I will get upset tummy friendly food and you will lay here.

I wasn't even going to argue. However, it took about two minutes for me to get bored and open my laptop to check my long neglected emails.

Before I can even log in, I hear my phone ringing somewhere in the living room and Seth quietly answer it. "Hello?" obviously I cannot hear the other side of the conversation, but it doesn't stop me from stretching my neck to hear better. "Oh hey Jake, no I am sorry, she is feeling a little under the weather at the moment. Can I take a message for you?"

I snorted a little thinking how flustered Jake must be with Seth answering my phone. "Oh right, you two had a little lunch date didn't you? Well I am glad you two got a chance to catch up." There was a pause and Seth appeared in the door way to the bedroom smirking. "Oh did she? Well, I cannot imagine why, she has never been one to run off like that before. Yes, I sure will tell her. Alright then, you take care." He hanged up and grinned. "Lover boy wanted to see if everything was alright, since you seemed to have made such a quick exit at lunch the other day."

I nodded grinning. "You are eating this up aren't you?"

Seth nods and shrugs. "So I enjoy watching the guy squirm a little."

I laugh and shake my head. Truthfully, I enjoyed that he enjoyed watching Jake squirm. I think that is a problem, but I am finding that the thing that bothers me the most about it is leading Jake on if I am starting to feel something for Seth.

Oh my god…

I feel something for Seth.

I look at him and he grins. Yup, deep in shit… that is where you can find me.

Now what do I do? Ignore him? Tell him? Jump his bones and pretend that I feel nothing? No to the last one, which was what the plan was with Alistair and as it turns out it, was a bad plan. It did nothing but end is spectacular chaos.

Well I am not ignoring him either. He is my roommate and my partner in this crime solving and on top and above of everything, he was my friend. Probably my best friend.

I realize at this point I am creepily staring at him, so I made a face to make him laugh and he saunters back into the kitchen to finish… whatever it was that he was doing in there.

So maybe I could so both. Ignore the feelings, for now, and avoid jumping his bones. Sex, as much as my lady bits think it is, is not a good idea. I have to keep focused. I have to also sort out this mess with Jake. If he isn't really what I want 100% then I will start really laying into how devoted I was to my 'boyfriend.' That will get him to back off. What about Kate? Well if Jake isn't interested in me then he will be focused on Kate, which leaves Seth's focus on me.

I nod to myself. This revised plan was the best one yet.

As it turns out, Seth did know how to cook. Thanks to his auntie sue, who worked in a dinner for a good part of his childhood. He came back into the room with soup, crackers and grilled cheese sandwiches. Yum.

It was perfection and I think I drooled on myself a little as I was eating it. It didn't matter; it was too good for me to care. When I had all but licked my bowl he took it from me and set it to the side moving the papers and laptop off the bed. "You should probably get some sleep. You have work in the morning."

I smile and nod. "Damnit, I do."

Seth laughs and gets up taking the dishes to the kitchen. I felt cold and empty. Would it still be roommate friendly if I ask him to kiss me good night? I smile to myself and the stupidity of the thought and shake my head. Seth was just turning off the sink and walking by the door towards the living room.

"Seth?"

He paused and looked in, bracing a hand on either side of the door frame. "Yes? Is everything okay?" I shake my head and he walks in sitting on the bed. "What's wrong?"

I look at my hands and sneak a glance up at him. "Would it be crossing the line if I asked you to sleep here? I don't want to sleep alone tonight."

His concern melted into a smirk. "No I think that will be fine, let me go get changed and I will be right back." I nod and smile as he walks off.

It turns out it wasn't the video that made me sick, it was food poisoning for that mornings food. When I wake up the next morning I was standing for all of thirty seconds before throwing up again. Seth tried to call into work, but his boss was insisting that he at least come in and see her in the morning, even if he left for home at lunch.

I slept through most of the morning, especially since I was used to waking up at 5am on a weekday. So when I woke up and it was 9am, I was amazed I had slept so late, probably would have been later, but the pounding on the door was amazingly loud to me and just not stopping. If it was Seth I was going to punch him in the face.

I stumbled my way to the door and opened it slowly and almost slammed it again squeak. "Jake?!"

He smirks and nods. "I heard you were under the weather so I thought I would bring some medicine and soup?" the dimple in his cheek deepened and I think I bit my lip. Lord I am a mess.

I move aside and then quickly realize how stupid that was because there are murder research papers all over the house. I quickly clean as I talk to him. "That was very sweet of you Jake, thank you. I didn't expect any of this, our place is a mess." I said apologetically.

Jake crosses the room behind me and stills my hands setting the stuff on the couch. "I don't care if your place is a mess." He says smirking. "I came to see you."

He was close and in my space and as aroused as I felt, it just felt… wrong. I felt guilty. I took a small step back and nodded. "Thank you, I'm sorry I am a mess too." I said laughing. "I am not contagious at least. It's only food poisoning."

Jake looked appalled before setting the soups on the end table and swooped me into his arms and carrying me to the bedroom. He gently laid me in bed and then sat next to me. "Food poisoning is some nastiness. If I had known I wouldn't have brought soup."

I laughed a little setting my hand on his arm to comfort him. "What would you have brought?"

He grins at me and shakes his head. "A bucket and some breath mints because that is about all that is useful when you have food poisoning."

I smile and nod. "I have been lucky though, one puking this morning and lost of toothpaste later, nauseous is about all that is left."

He smiles and nods. "You're right that is lucky, remember when you had the flu and wouldn't let me move more than two feet from you at all times?"

I laughed and nodded. "I do remember that. Guh I am so miserable when I am sick." I say with a pout.

He smirks and looks around seeing Seth's clothes thrown over the other side of the bed and he rubs his face and stands. "Well I am glad you're feeling a little better. You should take another day just in case."

I nod and follow his suddenly distant and evasive movements. "Going?"

He smiles apologetically and starts backing towards the door. "Yeah I have to pick up some dinner and meet Kate later."

It was a lie, but I didn't care. I smile and nod until he is out the door and I hear a click. I sigh a relieved sigh and close my eyes. That was weird. Before I could think of it too much I pass out again, no opening my eyes again until Seth walks through the door.

**_Review = Love_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N: Okay this is a very short Chapter but things have kinda gone topsy-tervy in my world and i had also gotten an injury to my left forearm so when i moved my fingers to type and it was pretty painful, so i took a few days off to heal. I have video posted on my profile, its a Nessie and Seth Dedication video. The other characters that you know and love from Definition of affair will slowly start to trickle into the story soon._**

**_I am also working on three other plot lines right now and one or two might be FanFiction, so stay tuned. i don't work well when i got more then one plot floating in my brain (which is another reason this one took too long to finish. damn plot lines that come to you in a dream!)_**

**_So in closing, i don't own the Characters but i like playing with them. The next chapter will be longer, i promise and more timely granted i get no more "good story line" dreams._**

Chapter 8

Things seemed to go fairly normal the next couple of days. Emily Young, Seth's boss, I guess got overly suspicious with his reaction to seeing the news paper article a few days ago. When I was sick and he had to come in for the morning, that's all she wanted to see him about. He managed to talk his way out of it but said that she still seemed… not really suspicious but more concerned.

We haven't had any make out episodes again, which was good because Jake's visit confused me. I had a solid plan, to live my life and let the chips fall where they may. Jake's visit seemed calculated, like he came there with a purpose, but bailed on it in the last second.

Work consumed us and the crime solving fire started to die out as we shuffled things around for work and put projects on the back burner. The name Tyler Crawley didn't come back to haunt me until a week later, when the answer came to me in the form of a high school news later that I got by email. I haven't even looked at them since we went to go spy on Leah, so as I am wading through the junk mail and chances to win money ads, I find this letter.

**WE MORN THE LOSS OF A FELLOW SPARTAN**

_We have recently discovered that our own class of 2008 has lost a fellow student this week. Former class mate Tyler Crawley has passed away in the most vicious of ways, found murdered in his own car. _

_Tyler Crawley was known for his eternal optimism and bright outlook on life, even being named "Most Likely to Succeed" for two years in a row. Tyler was captain of the baseball team and head committee member for the Young Politicians Guild._

_This school and world as lost a bright light that leads us and we morn greatly at the loss. Please send all donations and condolences to his family and the address below. The county police also ask that if anyone has any information on this crime, please contact your local sheriff's office right away._

I can feel the bile rising up in my throat again and all I want to do is call Seth. This is a bad idea. Maybe we should tell the cops what we know. I mean I have the murder on film. No I don't. I have my roommate's cousin having sex with him in the front seat. That's it and they will pick her up and she will say they have been dating and had a quicky. They will let her go and I am as good as next on the hit list.

I grunt rubbing my face and shaking my head. I watch too many cop drama's. I have to do the right thing. I look up at the clock and see that now was my chance, it was time to leave and meet Seth. I will tell him what I am going to do and that will be that.

I turn off my computer and gather my things. After saying good bye to everyone I head for the elevators and, to my annoyance, see a sign on it saying they were closed for maintenance. Seriously, it is quitting time; you would think that they would be on top of this shit. I sigh and head for the stairs, prepping to go down the numerous flights. A quick check of my phone tells me that the stairs apparently are made of the magical material that hospitals are made of and I suddenly get no signal. Fuck, please, throw me another curve ball because I don't think this is fun enough yet.

Three flights down and a door suddenly swings open making me scream like a teenager. A man in his late twenties walks out and offers an apologetic smile and we both seem to do a double take at the same time. "Paul?!"

He grins at me which, don't judge me, makes me weak kneed a little. Jake's older brother always had that air of naughtiness around him that could make selling Girl Scout cookies the sexiest thing in the world. "Renesmee Swan, well as I live and breathe what are you doing here in town?"

I grin wide at the petty fact that he remembered my name. I mean seriously, he was the older brother. He was in no way required to remember anything about me, no matter how long his brother and I dated.

"I live here now, just up the block actually!" I said proudly. It felt good to brag to someone that knew me before. "I work here at a marketing company, what are you doing here?" I wave my hand as an imaginary reset. "I mean I know you live in town, I just mean in the building."

He smirks and offers an elbow as we start to go down the stairs again. "Well as it happens I was speaking with the state funding commissioner about making a start-up company that will help families of unforeseen tragedies get financial help." You could have knocked me down with a feather. This was the guy I used to buy my weed off of when Jake wasn't looking. Yeah, yeah, I am against smoking cigarettes. Weed is a whole other ball game.

"Wow that is amazing!" I say, giving his arm a little pat. "I am so proud of you! So do you guys focus on specific tragedies like natural disasters or is it something else?"

"Oh we work with a local insurance agency and deal with everything involving natural disasters to family death, even murder." He said beaming. "It's really exciting. They are already shipping us clients and are basically silent investors. They basically get the money through legitimate insurance claims and contracts for families." I was fascinated and sort of lost, but he was animated and excited to be sharing so I listen with avid interest. "What we do is then take the money that the families are paying in and double it with the donations we collect and grants that we get from the state and invest it into a CD account in an international bank. We went international so that we can have world wide donations and the international accounts accrue more interest. The growing interest will accrue as the money sits waiting for the time when it is most needed."

"Wow, that is really incredible" I say, smiling as we hit the last few floors. "So do you have more then one insurance backer or just the one?"

He smiles and nods. "Just the one so far, but "The Pack" are very good to us and have even handed over the first donation to get us started." I froze, almost tripping the rest of the way down the stairs and taking him with me. Did he just say…?

"Oh jeeze, are you alright?" he asks concerned and I am pretty sure I am ghost white because I suddenly feel like I am going to pass out. I nod and sit heavily on the step facing the exit doors for the stairs.

"I am so sorry, Paul. I am just getting over food poisoning and I don't think I have quite recovered yet." I say feebly, trying for a smile.

He smiles the way men do when they think women are being silly and nods. "Well can I do anything for you?"

I nod numbly and close my eyes leaning against the railing. "My roommate should be right outside, his name is Seth. Do you think you could get him for me? I wouldn't want to keep you any longer then I have already."

"Oh it's no trouble at all!" He says kindly and walks out. Moments later they both come back and Seth is on his knees in front of me holding my hands.

"Hey kiddo, didn't I tell you it was too soon to go back to work?" his concern was etched in his face as he looked me over.

"Hey listen, I am late for a meeting, but it was really nice to see you again, Ness. Maybe we can go out to dinner, catch up." I nod and give a weak smile as he hands me his business card. As soon as the door shuts behind him I sit straight up, startling Seth some. "He is connected and I know what they do now!" I say excitedly before promptly passing out.

I wake up in my bed and Seth is staring at me with a cool cloth to my head. He sees my eyes flutter and he smiles. "We have to stop meeting like this." He says softly, making me smile.

"I didn't throw up this time." I say shrugging a little.

"No, no you didn't, but you did scare the crap out of me again." He says touching my forehead lightly. "If you keep this up, I am taking you to the doctors kicking and screaming."

I am shaking my head already. "No, I am fine, but just took me by surprise by something he said." Seth was giving me a bullshit look so I sighed. "Okay so I haven't eaten yet today but really what he said shocked me to the bone."

"I believe that, now you can come sit on the couch while I make you something to eat and you can tell me what was such shocking news." He says getting up. I start to get up but he is already next to me picking me up and carrying me to the living room.

"I can walk."

"No you can fall down stair and are a champ at passing out but I don't believe walking was something that you have mastered yet, Ace." He jokes dropping me on the couch with a thud.

I try to swat at him as he dodges by and heads to the kitchen. "So start talking Ace."

I huff and open my mouth to talk but a sound in my bedrooms makes me jump. I look over at the kitchen but Seth is cooking without missing a step. I frown and shake my head coming to the conclusion that I am going nuts. "That man was Jake's older brother." I heard a snort from the kitchen and couldn't help but smirk. "It's not like that, I used to buy weed off of him, but we were always just friends." I waved my hand around in the air as if to bat away the subject. "Anyways, the point is he was there to get a grant for his new company. They are in affiliation with 'The Pack' insurance."

I heard something that sounded like a pan drop and cursing like mad and leaned over the couch to peek in. "Are you okay?"

"Shut up, keep talking." I opened my mouth to tell him how stupid that sounded, but he grunted. "You know what I mean. Shut up about this; keep talking about your previous topic."

I laugh. "Okay, okay, well he said what they do is then take the money that the families are paying in to Paul's company. Paul is Jake's brother by the way. Anyways, Paul doubles it with the donations they collect and grants that they get from the state and then he deposits the money into a CD account with in international bank. The growing interest will accrue as the money sits waiting for the time when it is most needed."

"That's money laundering!" Seth says from the kitchen in a voice that didn't sound like his own. "Okay you win on the being shocked thing."

I snort and am about to throw out a comment when I hear another crash in the room. This time Seth poked his head out. "Did you hear that?"

I nod looking at the room now officially scared out of my wits. "Yes, I heard it earlier but I thought I was going crazy."

I watched as he cautiously walks into the room and I didn't even bother pretending that I was going to stay on the couch. I was up and behind him with my 4D maglight ready to use it as a bat.

A box fell in the corner making us both jump. Okay so it wasn't some sneaking mob-like spy in my home to kill me for knowing too much, but now I am dealing with some possibly rabid rodent and that might be worse. "Oh got it's tiny and moving and you need to kill it!"

I could almost hear him rolling his eyes as he crept closer. I was on the bed, with the logic that I could see where it went if it ran, but really this was safe and the ground was rodent lava right now.

And shoebox was jumping and I about crawled out of my skin. "Kill it! Kill it!"

"Shut up, I'm working on it!" he growled, leaping and slamming his hand on the top of the box, I heard a squeak and almost fainted.

"Don't kill it!" I shout covering my eyes.

I heard him start laughing and I peek an eye open to see that I was face to face… err… face to whiskers to a tiny kitten. It took less then a second for my heart to melt. "Oh my god, baby kitty!"

Seth was cracking up and we searched the room finding two more kittens. One that was all white and a gray tabby and there wasn't even a discussion. We were keeping them and that was that. The gray and white one was Dude. The all white one was Walter and the all gray tabby we named Donny. Do not make fun of our mutual love for 'The Big Lebowski'.

The kittens broke the tension of the day and brought me to ease again. We decided that we would work on the crime-solving thing again, but start it in the morning. It was already a long day and I had already forgotten about my resolve to tell the police everything for now.

In fact it wasn't until we ate, feeding the boys (who we assumed were boys, we would find out tomorrow) as well and then we lay on the bed together with the 'kids' and talked that I remembered. I told him about my conflict in telling the police and the high school new letter I had gotten in my email.

"So you went to school with this guy, maybe we can really research what pies they have their fingers in if we see how this guy lived." Seth suggested, petting Dude absently. "I mean if he was just some outstanding guy that ran into a bad situation, then maybe their disguise as an insurance company is legit. Is your friend shady or is he a straight arrow? I mean you said you bought weed from him."

I shook my head. "That was as bad as he was. He wasn't a hard time guy, just baked and spoke of what would happen if different animal species mated." I say snorting.

He nodded and smiles. "Hey the rhinolephant would have been awesome." He jokes, laughing when Walter mews at him annoyed for being woke up.

I look over the kids and back at him. "You know, I don't think I can handle triplets on my own."

He grins and reaches over taking my hand. "I won't abandon you to raise my furry sons alone!"

I smile and squeeze his hand. "Could you sleep here?" he lifts his brow at me and I blush. "I mean we have three kids now, we should be experts at sleeping in the same bed without any sexual tension."

He cracks up making Walter and Dude jump and little. I shush him and grin. "Yeah, I think I can sleep here now. I am not promising that I won't attempt to give these guys a sibling though."

I laugh easily. "We will cross those covers when we get there."

He yawns big and gets up stripping his boxers before shutting the light off. I felt his hand on my face and his lips brush mine before one of the kittens gave a new from being squished under us and I giggled. He muttered "Cock-blockers" before lying back down.

"Good night, Ace."

I smiled into the dark lightly touching my lips lightly. "Good night, Seth."

**_Reviews = Love_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N: I know this this is very late. but it's here, so please be kind and review. Thank you_**

Chapter 9

I am sitting on my couch with my hand over my mouth and I am sure I had been sitting here for at least an hour. I replayed the message again and shivered.

_This is Edward, look your sister is really worried about you and I have been all over trying to find you. Luckily I have a friend still out there, Paul? He happened to say he ran into you last week and you were living close by. Stop being such a selfish bitch and call your sister. Bye._

I thanked my lucky stars again that Seth was working late tonight and didn't hear it or see her reaction to it either. How dare he call me at all? Let alone to tell me that my sister was so worried about be between making out with murders on television. Okay, so I know that isn't exactly true, but still! Attempted murderer and someone she spent months tell me to dump because he was no good and I was so much better then him! What is he doing with her anyways; I didn't sacrifice my reputation just for him to come back anyways! AND FOR HER TO TAKE HIM BACK! Guh!

I take a breath and calming myself. I will ignore them. I nod to myself and walk over to the filing shelves I finally bought to organize all the research we were doing. We have suspect files, files on Paul and his affiliates, even though it seemed as though they really were just innocent bystanders in this.

As far as we could tell, there was a head guy, like guy in charge. However, said guy in charge, came up face down in the pacific not fully six months ago. We have not yet found if there was a second or if 'The Pack' members were running wild now. Leah was defiantly following someone's orders, because the dates on the back of the book were still valid and we needed to find out where and how they get the dates.

She doesn't kill everyone she meets; she collects money, usually anyways. One guy I think she was honestly sleeping with because I didn't see her collect anything, unless her vagina was collecting a sperm sample.

I plop back onto the couch and laugh as Dude, Walter and Donni (as we found out Donny was a girl) played a sort of leap frog game. My phone beeps and I look down to see a text from Jake. I smile slightly and throw back a quick reply. He really took stepping back in as a friend well and that is all I pushed for, giving up trying to figure out who I was meant for. I will let life decide that, I'll just hang on for the ride.

A knock on the door makes me jump stupidly and the kittens go flying into the bedroom. I roll my eyes at myself and get up, walking to the door and opens it some and my greeting smile froze on my lips. "Kate, what a surprise, what can I do for you?"

She flashed her perfect Barbie smile and flicked her perfect blond hair. "Oh I didn't realize you would be here, I was looking for Seth."

Oh lets play bitch.

I put on a playful pout and leaned against the door. "Well sweetie, you know what they say about blonds, but I will speak slow and use small words for you." I grin brightly using a baby voice to speak. "Seth will be back soon. He went to work. Come back later."

Kate glared. I watched her right hand twitch and I sat up straighter. I might have been spoiled by Bella growing up, but if there was one thing I did know how to do, was fright a skank bitch. They use there nail and pull hair. I use my fists and whatever was near and I have been itching to give this bitch a beating since I laid eyes on her.

Lucky for her she turned and walked away and I grinned darkly. "Oh hey Kate?"

The woman stopped but didn't turn around. "Can you tell Jake hello for me? Thank him for the lunch the other day, it was really… fun catching up."

I think she choked on a gag before stomping away again. All I could do was laugh. It didn't take more then five minutes before I was getting screaming texts from Jake, but I ignored them. If he had to have permission to hang out with me, then it wasn't worth it and I wasn't about to waste my breath telling him that. He will just think I am being jealous.

It started to eat away at me and by the time Seth got home I was feeling down right horrible about it. He walked into the door and I gave him my best pouty face as I presented him with an egg role and glass of wine. His brows went up in surprise and there was a mix of concern and humor in his eyes. "Uh oh, what did you do?"

I bowed my head in embarrassment and moved aside so he could come in. "Kate stopped by today."

Another look of surprise and his lips twitch as they fight a smile. "Oh I see, and am I going to find body parts in the freezer or pride on the sidewalk."

I smirk a little and shove his shoulder. "It felt good at the time, but now I think I killed your chances of getting her back." I turned away rubbing my neck so he wouldn't see my face. I know my look of disappointment would ruin the fact that I was supposed to be feeling bad. The feelings I was having for Seth were a secret still and I refused to change that and sway his choice from bitch Barbie…err I mean Kate. "Don't mock my guilt."

I fell him grab my hand and turn me around to look at him. "I would never mock your guilt." He says grinning. He takes the wine and egg roll from me and winks heading for the bedroom to get changed. He seemed… unconcerned. Which let the tiniest flower of hope bloom inside me.

I smirk following him, propping a shoulder against the door frame as he moved around the room. This had become a natural thing for us. We have moved into a relationship that was as easy as long marriage, without the intimacy of course. Not for lack of want, on my part anyways. I mean if I eye fuck him any harder at the moment I stand the chance of getting pregnant.

He of course was oblivious to this with his egg roll hanging out of his mouth and hopping on one foot to get his jeans on. My eyes follow his back, the muscles rippling as he worked on his pants. Thank god he was oblivious, I am pretty sure I just chewed a hole in my lip.

Goddamnit I need to get laid. Like soon.

I laugh a little as Walter and Donni follow Seth around the room, trying for attention while avoiding getting stepped on. "So is there more to this egg roll or do I have to go through you?"

I smirk, 'well didn't THAT sound interesting'. I move aside and let him pass but the look he gives me as he walks by makes me look away and bite my lip. I let my mind wander for a moment on that the day dream of multiple scenarios. I have to stop doing this. I had one while we were at Denny's the other day that made me moan out loud.

Okay so that sounds laughable but I have a great imagination and I all but felt this strong hands picking me up and setting me on the table. The feel of the stubble on his chin as he kissed his way down my neck and it scratching my collarbone, in the most delicious of ways. He is licking syrup off of my thighs.

"Ace? What are you thinking about?" he said close to my ear, making me jump and my face light up in red. I try to step back but the door frame is behind me and I refuse to open my eyes because I knew where that would lead me.

I took a shaky breath to steady myself. "I am having a dirty daydream about you."

There was a soft chuckle and I felt his hand at the side of my neck. "That is exactly what it looked like you were doing."

I slowly open my eyes and I saw that I had been wrong, he wasn't so oblivious. Everything was slow motion as he eyes flicked from my lips to my eyes. I grabbed the back of his head, pulling his mouth to mine, kissing him desperately. He groaned pushing himself against me, trapping me between him and the door frame.

_Silence is the warnings and red flags that usually plague me_.

He lifts me and I wrap my legs around his waist shamelessly grinding against him as his mouth explores my jaw and neck. I didn't want to say anything; I didn't want to chance breaking the spell.

I felt him pull me from the door, his hot mouth on my throat moving down pulling the collar of my dress out of the way. I fist his hair as he latches over my budded peaks moaning loudly as I fall back gently onto the bed but cockeyed half on and off. We didn't care. He was ravenous and sensual and rocking against my grinding center. Every thing fell away as his hands cupped my pert breast his mouth found mine again. There was no Kate any longer. No Jake, no Alistair, Bella, or Charlie. No murders, jobs, rent, or even our kitten children. Everything melted away in that moment and just became _right_.

"Oh fuck Seth," I moan as he kisses along my jaw line and down my neck. My fingers work at the buttons on his shirt while untucking it at the same time. I feel his arousal pressing against me and I am all but whimpering for it. He is licking at my collar bone and I just finish freeing the last button on his shirt when I hear the ominous protest of the bed we slid off of it and fall with a squeal and lots of giggles as we hit the floor.

It didn't stop us though, his hands are under my skirt in two seconds flat and mine are alternating gripping his hair and working on his pants. I wrap myself around his waist and he grips my ass, lifting me with him as he gets to his feet. Our lips resealed and I wiggled against him, feeling his need rub against me in the most delicious of ways, earning a breathy groan from both of us as we make our way to the bed, dropping clothes as we went the tiny distance. Seth lays me gently on the bed again, letting his hands glide down my right leg, stopping when he got to my shoe. He leans down, kissing my ankle and unbuckling my shoe, repeating the process with the other foot.

I looked up at him from the bed, feeling the warmth of his smile as he grins at me, toeing off his shoes and pushing down his pants. I sit up, getting to my knees so that I am level with his bare chest and I slowly pulled my rumpled dress over my head, leaving me with only my pink lace panties. I pepper kisses along his shoulders and chest, taking his dark flat nipples between my teeth and nibbling.

He hisses with the bites, his eyes hooded and the lust in his gaze is as plain as if he had spoken it out loud. I lick down between his pecks and abs while my hands pushed down his boxers. His hard erection pops free causing me to smirk up at him, arching an eyebrow. He growls deep in his throat, tackling me to the bed. His mouth attaches it self to a bare breast while his other hand works on the other one and I arch into his palms moaning at the sensation. "Oh god, Seth, yes!" I moan loud, not even close to caring if the neighbors hear me.

I feel a hand traveling down my tummy, drawing lazy circles as it travels south. My hips jump and my eyes shut in anticipation of pleasure, earning a chuckle from the culprit. A wet tongue leaving a cool trail follows the hands progress but stops at the band of my panties making me whine. "Watch me." Seth growled, gruff and thick from want and need.

My eyes open locking with his, the green in them now darkened from lust, making them almost look like black in color. He slowly spreads my legs and I quiver, as if I had never had a man between my legs before. He flashed me a grin before his flat tongue came out in a spectacularly feline way, taking a leisurely pass at me. His hands were on either side of my hips, refusing to let me wiggle. "Oh Jesus!" my hands go to my hair, wanting to close my eyes in passion but they refused to close over the view of watching this man dine on me.

"Nope, just Seth." he mumbles, licking again, just as slow. Each pass I feel the quakes and tremors building inside of me, but he does not speed up, regardless of my rapid breathing. Lick by slow torturous lick, my insides are turning to Jell-o. I grab a fist-full of his hair, pushing him into me. Every time I would break eye contact he would nip my thigh, making me cry out. "Yes! Seth! Yes!" I scream louder and louder as my quivers turned into quakes and my breathing turned to gasps.

I am lost in his eyes, watching his as he tasted me over and over again, I didn't notice his hands moving until I felt two fingers pressed into me, making me scream out loud. "Seth!"

"That's right, cum for me." He murmurs, latching his mouth onto my clit. I am, several times over. Until I thought I was going to have no voice left and my vision would never turn back to normal.

"Seth! Now!" I rasp tugging him by his hair, needing to feel him inside of me. He sits up to his knees and then pulls me up and with out warning we are across the room, my back up against the wall and he was lined up with my entrance.

He lets out a very animalistic growl and pushes up into me, making us both moan loudly. It felt like home. '_RIGHT_' is what my mind keeps whispering to me. He was past leisure now, he is mad with need, pounding into me, driving towards his own release. I gripped his shoulders and tug his hair so that he has to look into my eyes. His breath is quickly becoming grunts and I feel him tensing inside of me. I tilt my head to the side and push his head to my exposed neck. He gets the hint and bites down hard, making me cum almost instantly tightening around him like a vice, rocking as best as I can to get as much of him into me. He came with a loud roar, still pumping until he is soft inside of me.

He was panting against my back practically holding me up. It didn't last long and we both fell over an ungraceful pile on the floor laughing as we tried to catch our breaths. Apparently we opened Pandora's Box. As soon as one of us tried to walk away the other one wouldn't let it happen.

I sat up giggling at the slick suction noise our skin made as we separated. I groan as the muscles in my body protested. I grab a hold of the kitchen counter and pull myself to my feet grinning down at Seth on the floor. He winked and I had to laugh slowly making my way to the shower. I threw extra sway into my hips knowing that he was watching.

The groan behind me confirmed that.

I had to pee something fierce and I know if we went for round… whatever two digit number we were on… I know that I am going to sweat the smell of sex from my pours for weeks. He hadn't appeared again so I assumed that he was doing his best to let me rest.

I smiles to myself as I stepped under the warm water and couldn't help the moan as it released my tense muscles. It was a delicious pain, beautiful to have release but wonderful to feel knowing how the pain came to be. We went from the bed the wall the couch, the kitchen. There was no surface in this apartment that my ass, boobs, or face hadn't pressed up against now.

I giggle to the empty room as my mind revisits the day. As I finish and start to towel off I notice the clock on the wall says 3am. Holy crow we had gone at it for a long time! Like 6 straight hours!

I grin wide, excited to share this sexy piece of fact with Seth, knowing he will appreciate it as much as I do. I thought about just yelling it across the house, but with out the sexual motivation of Seth, not caring that the neighbors hear me is a lot harder to do. So I wrap the towel around me, not bothering getting dressed, and start for the kitchen where I left him, but I'm stopped cold in my tracts at the sound of Seth talking to a familiar whiney voice.

"She insinuated that I am fucking stupid, Seth! Why are you not defending me?"

"Because you think that would be smart? 'Oh no sweetie, don't insult my ex-girlfriend.' Why? 'Oh because it hurt her feelings and words cause people to pout like babies.'" Seth mocked. "You're lucky she didn't hit you with you showing up like that. Hell she will be out of the shower any second, you better go now, I doubt she will be so nice this time."

"You know she's fucking Jake, why are you staying with her?" Kate whined again, no longer concealing her voice. Seth shushed her and must have pushed her further out the door because she sounded quieter now. Fucking Jake?! Is that bitch crazy and stupid? I look around and spot my aluminum bat from my girls' baseball days. I throw on my robe and grab the bat, readying my self to ambush her.

"They had lunch, they are not fucking. Look, you have to go before she comes out and gets us both in trouble." I could just imagine the face that went with the pouty 'fine' that he got as a response. I lifted the bat and popped around the corner, ready to just scare her out the door a little faster. I mean hell, standing her as she hits on him, knowing I wad just been fucking him for six hours—

"No…" it was all I could say because I turned the corner and she is hanging off of Seth's neck, their faces are pressed together and her hands are going up his shirt. "NO!" I scream louder, heartbreak and fury a new motivator for lack of concern with volume control.

Seth was pushing her away like she was burning him and she clung desperately to him, her eyes wide on the bat that I now had in the ready position.

"Seth, if you dare to tell me, 'it's not what it looks like', I will cut off your misters." I warn, my eyes not leaving Kate.

"She grabbed my face, I was pushing her away." He said calmly, still trying to unclamp her fingers from his arm. I nod and walk closer to her and she squeaks trying to make a run for it. I grab her hair, hurling her back into the apartment. She comically lost her footing face first and before she could scramble her self back up, I was on top of her, straddling her hips and gripping her hair to yank it back so her back was arched and her head was up.

"Now look bitch, if I ever catch you on my doorstep again, I will fucking kill you. My father works for the FBI, so believe me when I say, I can make you disappear! You will never see the light of day and I can make it look you were hiding from the shame of being a child molester!" She was weeping, her eyes getting wide when I say molester. "Now fucking leaving." I spat, dropping her head with a dramatic thump.

She scrambled to her feet all but running for the door, which I slammed behind her. I turned to Seth, the fire still in my eyes by the way he was backing up. "What the FUCK Seth!"

"It was exactly as I said."

"Yes but showing up at 3AM seems pretty okay with her!" I growl, dropping the bat. If I was going to beat his ass, it was going to be with my bare hands.

Seth sighed running his fingers through his hair he held my arms and looked into my eyes. "I have been stringing her along. I have reason to believe she is important."

I glare at him but stay silent to show that I am listening.

"I think she is one of the people behind 'The Pack' insurance." He said quietly.

_Oh. Well fuck._

**_Review = love_**


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N: Okay so I blame my lateness on my stupid body this week. I had surgery and then that got infected and then I got a flu that seriously kicked my ass. So on my way back to healthy I thought I would give you this short chapter in good faith that another is on the way and you're going to be seeing some familiar faces very soon. _**

**_Thank you to Becka, whom really helped me out when my writing muse cheated on this story for some random word vomit called Swan Brothers. So much love to her, its going to take two trips. -winks-_**

Chapter 10

"What do you mean?" I said pacing the room. I was still pissed at him but understanding what he was doing. "I mean seriously, next time you have a lead, can you not pretend like you want to fuck her? Who's next, 'The Face'?" I growl out, knowing I'm being a dick, but still…

"Don't be like that, Ace." He said reaching for me. I move out of reach crossing my arms in front of me as I look at him. "We just spent five hours fucking each other stupid."

I try not to smile and fail, so I make a small growing noise before I smack him across the face instead and his shock is a nanosecond long before he pulls me to him kissing me hard. I all but melt into him kissing him back with all of me. I drag my mouth from him letting him drag his mouth across my jaw and neck and I moan. "Okay, okay, you're sexy and I'm listening."

Seth is pushing me back on the couch as he murmurs against my skin, crawling over me. Damn him, I wanted to be mad at him, but seriously fuck he is rocking against me now. "She is a greaser in the hall of public records."

My mind is suddenly bipolar split between really wanting to see where this is going, like I didn't know and processing the information he just threw at me. I continue both, my hands going to untie my robe. "What records could she possibly be changing?"

His hands are all over the skin I exposed behind the now open and useless robe and mine were undetourably on there way to the jeans he stupidly, though smartly, put on when Kate showed up. "She is making these people ghosts, it's bigger then we thought. There is money coming in from all over the state." I moan as his fingers get pinch happy all over my sensitive places. "Mmm don't make that noise, you're distracting me. There is even a huge backer in Forks."

I pause for a second, brought back by a hard pinch to my inner thigh making me sound all but a porn star. "Don't do it if you don't like my noises. Forks? The only person with that kind of money there is Alistair…"

"Who is in prison for attempted murder right now…" I roll my eyes, not fully because his fingers went from my left nipple veering right slightly to move between my legs.

"He isn't like that, I mean, fuck yes, guh I mean no. He isn't usually like that, he was drunk and pissed off, but he wouldn't normally… usually… okay fuck I can officially not think right now about Alistair or anything else then this." The 's' was drawn out to make me sound snake like. It was worth it though as I drifted off to sleep two hours later.

_Maybe I should put a call into the only neighborhood._

And I did, three weeks later. What, don't look at me like that, I do have a life out side of being Vagina Tracey. Ha! Get it? Dick… Tracey… well I thought it was clever.

"Hi, this is Renesmee Swan, I had a question about the financial status of the three accounts made for Alistair Baur and Peter Whitlock. I am their accountant and after the whole prison thing for Alistair, I am unsure which of these are active and where the money is headed." I said trying to put on my best business like voice.

"Can I get the number for those accounts ma'am?" I spat out the account numbers, thanking Peter for all the desk work he put me on to have me memorize those account numbers. "Right, okay so two accounts are active. The third was deactivated for the business and converted to personal funds."

What the heck was Alistair up to? "Great, okay so can you send me the transcripts for those through my fax?" I said praying they would.

"Of course we can, you go a head and give me that number and I will send it right over." She said chipperly. I roll my eyes knowing Alistair has slept with this woman, you could tell with just how eager she was to please. "Please give Mr. Baur my best wishes, it's a shame what happened to him."

That was kind of it for me. I carefully waiting for the information I needed to finish filling my fax, before I finally snapped. "To him? It wasn't done to him! He was sentenced to prison for attempted murder that he admitted to. He did it himself!" and with that I abruptly hung up on the dumb woman.

It takes me three times to go over these bank forms and my original feeling was right, he had nothing to do with this. Then who else was from forks… Edward.

"No." He says looking at me with such seriousness I wanted to jump him again. I already had, as soon as he walked through the door. Mainly so I could break this news with his brain still all mushy and post-sexed.

"You can't just say 'no' like I actually listen to anything law you lay down." I reason calmly because I know that if he were to stop and think about it, this makes the most sense.

"Yes I can and I just fucking did. No. One guy that I know you slept with in the city at a time please." My lips twitched and I lost the fight and start laughing hard. This isn't making it better with him but I can't help it.

"Oh my god I can never bring you back to forks!" I gasp out holding my chest. He starts to walk away and I jump out of bed and grab his hand. "Okay, okay, I am sorry. It's not like my slutty past is a secret, it's just funny that you're threatened by Edward."

"You slept with him didn't you?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then he is a threat." Seth said simply shrugging a shoulder. I now feel like a dickhead for laughing at him, especially when he is being so cute right now. So I tug his hand pulling him over me as I lay back again.

"Look he was a means to an end and we need to do this. When I get him here you will be with me 100% of the time." I put on my meaning business face, which I didn't wear often because it leaves an awkward wrinkle across my nose. "He is the backer and I know it." I say touching the side of his face, wiggling under him to keep his attention on the prize of agreeing with me.

He face is still serious and I know I'm in trouble. "Ace, look, this is just… deep bone feeling bad idea." He sighs and put his face to my neck just laying there. "This isn't like having sex in a car going through a carwash and getting done before we get to the other side, bad idea."

"That is actually a good idea."

"I know we are going to have to try it. No this is a … going to the gym and asking the biggest guy there what 'roids he is on, bad idea." He bites my neck lightly and lifts his head to look down at me. "Ace, this is cutting off the mobs money. That is dangerous shit."

"We are not going over the 'it's too dangerous for you to be in this' talk again. I'm in this, balls deep along with you." I smile when he makes a face.

"I would argue that but you have some pretty enormous balls." He says grinning.

"How do I walk anywhere?"

"I have no idea. Maybe bounce around?" he sighs again and nods. "Okay, fine. I am with you when he is around though and you tell me everything you are going to do where this is concerned."

I nod eagerly because those are perfectly easy promises to keep. "I promise." I sealed it with a kiss. He did too… all the way down under the blanket.

"Look Renesmee—" Edward started for the fifth time.

"I am not going there; she obviously doesn't need me there if he is getting out of jail soon anyways." I argued, in my best whiney like voice. Man I was serious cunt-face back then.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He said indignantly. Seriously, why did she date this pompous asshole?

"Don't be stupid Eddy. Even I saw her making out with him at sentencing, she doesn't need me there and she doesn't need you." I put on my best sexually dripping voice and squeezed Seth's hand, which I had a death grip on next to me. "Maybe you should come to Seattle. We might…run into each other out here." I winced, looking at Seth. His jaw was ticking and the hand that wasn't holding mine was opening and closing in jerky movements.

We had talk and talked about it. He took back being okay with this three times, but came around four and in the end; I wasn't allowed to openly invite him here. I had to insinuate where I was and if the guy showed up then good. If not, oh well.

"Look, why don't you just woof on back to Bella like a good little doggie and I will go back to my life. I am fine, now she can live out the rest of her backstabbing life and leave it at that." With that I hanged up on him, looking at Seth who was looking back at me. I knew what he was thinking. He wanted to claim me. Make me his all over again just to reassure him self that I was his. It was why I was naked and all I did was drop the phone as he lunged at me with that primal look in his eyes.

Three hours later I was laying against his chest going through files and getting frustrated as hell. "Nothing!"

"Nothing?" he said laughing lightly at my randomness.

"Nothing. I have known the guy since I was 12 when Bella was first dating him and other then the habit of his dick slipping out of his pants into other women, he is squeaky clean. No record, no citations, there isn't even a parking ticket here!" I sigh again ready to throw the files and my laptop across the room.

"Okay well think about it. How did you get your information back in high school?" he asked laying his head back on the couch arm running his fingers along my arms.

I closed my eyes thinking back to the calculating and discriminating days of high school and smiled some. I was one of those bitches everyone loved to hate in high school. Popular girl who all the girls wanted to be and all the guys wanted and the one girl who acted like a slut but was all virgin through and through. Saving her self for the right unattainable man to come along and pop that cherry making her the real woman she had been pretending to be this whole time. Yeah (raises my hand) that was me. "The viscous and unforgiving world of gossip is how everyone got there information then."

Seth nodded and gestured randomly. "So go check out what old gossip you can find on Mr. Mason."

"I don't even know why I am trying. If I can't find his name anywhere on the internet that will help, then I don't see what good it will do to search his past. There is no link between him and them. I have nothing that connects his money to any of 'The Pack' members." I sighed again.

Seth squeezed me kissing my neck. "We will get everything we need from him when he comes." He said confidently. "Bright side is, if he doesn't give us anything useful, ill throw a pillowcase over his head and you can beat the shit out of him."

I looked up at him, smiling lovingly. "You sure do know the true way to my heart Seth Clearwater."

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	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Here ya go peeps. Enjoy!**_

Chapter 11

Seth and I waited for an hour before I stood up, ready to abandon this stupid plan. "This is stupid, he isn't coming and we are just fools for waiting him."

"Relax Ace, he will show up. He wants the information you have too much." Seth said calmly, watching me pace. Why was he so calm? That's so annoying! Edward called back a week after I spoke to him. He said he wanted to know some things about Alistair. I told him I would tell him anything he wanted to know if he came to see me. It was obviously done in more of a seductive under tone, but oh well.

"I think more then anything, I hate bringing that world here." I say sitting down rubbing my face with my hands. "I don't want to taint this world with the fucked up drama of Forks."

This world already had its own tainting, just a different shade." He said wisely. Seriously, that was like some fortune cookie wisdom right there. I grin at him and nod. "Alright Yoda, trust in the plan I will."

He laughed and shook his head. "You are the biggest nerd in the world, you know that right?"

"Yeah but you find it hot that I even know who Yoda is." I say wiggling my brows.

He groans pulling me into his lap kissing my neck instantly making me melt.

"I guess I didn't get here fast enough." Oh god how that voice made me shudders now. It was revolting and it makes my stomach turn knowing I had been with him. "You already found someone else to mount."

I stand turning to face him. I had to admit, he looked like shit. There was an edge of insanity in his eyes that made me take an involuntary step closer to Seth. "I do not mount anyone else these days. I have changed a lot since we last seen each other Edward."

He nodded walking closer, standing next to the table. "I can see that. That is good, seems that your sister has taken up your mantle though."

My hands clench and I nod. "So I saw, her and Alistair always had a weird hate-lust thing." I said holding my chin high. I knew Edward well enough to know he would get his cheap shots in where he could. I was ready to be the bigger person and not let him get to me. "Besides, it's not like cheating is a foreign concept to you."

He narrowed his eyes at me and I glared right back. "You are not the only person capable of change."

"Right but the difference is, I mean it when I change." I said challenging him to refute me. He couldn't and he and I both knew it. 'I can change' was his favorite line while he was with Bella. I waved off the insult match I could see us going into if I didn't end this now. "Look, your secretary is a real winner and won't give me information that I need."

Edward lifted a femininely manicured eye brow at me and I smirked, gaining a little confidence. "Obviously you're sleeping with her and she has some sense of righteousness by denying me what I wanted to know, even if I pretended to be your lawyer."

"And why were you pretending to be my lawyer? What information is so important?" he said crossing his arms stepping closer. Whatever Seth saw in Edwards eyes just then made him nervous enough to stand up. Seth towered over most people and Edward was no exception. Edward stopped walking forward, his eyes flicking to Seth for a split second.

I am holding Seth's hand hard. One: to restrain him from starting a fight. If he wanted to finish a fight that was fine with me, but I wouldn't want him starting it. Second: I am a coward and I know that Edward had a nasty temper sometimes. "You said you needed information on Alistair, I need information from you." I gestured to the chair on the far side of the table. "Maybe you can sit and we can go over some kind of agreement to both of us getting what we want."

Edward slowly sat opposite of Seth and eyed us both.

"What do you need to know about Alistair?" I said bluntly. Yes I know, it's disgusting and a huge part of me hates myself, but Seth and I stumbled into this murder and I was willing to sell some of my better judgment in order to get to the bottom of this. "And why?" I wasn't completely stupid.

"'Why' isn't part of this deal." Edward says evenly. I narrow my eyes at him and sit tugging Seth's hand to join me. He does, though I am not looking at his face, I can guarantee that he is giving Edward a deadly look.

"You include the 'why' or there is no deal at all. Obviously you wouldn't be able to get this information from anyone else, or else you wouldn't have come this far." I said calmly. I watched Edwards face as he chews that over and finally nods once. If I had blinked I would have missed it.

"I know now that he is out she is cheating on me. She is there all the time and those she says they fight all the time, I see the blush on her cheeks when she speaks of him." His teeth were clenched and he was staring hard at the table. "I would like a chance to know the places I could find my girlfriend when she fails to come home on time. I would like to know the man who was deemed better then me, aside from the going to prison for attempted murder. I may have my faults, but I did all I could this time around to make it work and she was the fuck up this time." He looks up at me; his eyes are desperate and pleading. "You know she wouldn't ever have the gall to just up and do this. He talked her into this. I found letters. Letters they wrote to each other while he was locked up."

This took my brain in another direction. Alistair loathes writing letters. He always has because he said his hand writing was so bad that people called him up to explain what he wrote most the time, so typing letters or making someone else write them was his usual doing. If he is writing actual letters to Bella, this was not a side fuck. This was something bigger then that. With my sister, after using Jessica and me, now it's okay to be real?! I swallow hard and shake my head. I have Seth. He is sweet and sexy and smart and perfect. There is no reason for me to be even slightly jealous because whatever my fantasy with Alistair was, it couldn't touch what I actually had with Seth.

"What exactly do you need to know?" I say quietly not meeting his eyes.

"I just want to be able to prove that she is stepping out. His schedule and things I need to know to get closer to him like apartment codes and bar security codes."

My eyes snapped to his and I shake my head. "No bar codes, that is Peter's bar too. You're not going to do anything that will hurt him too, he did nothing wrong." I said taking a breath and finally nod. "I don't know if he kept the house him and Jessica had, but the security there was '5164' and he is at the bar 7 days a week from noon until one or two in the morning. His cleaning woman used to be Glenda and she steals his Vicodin but it wasn't to get high, she took them for her back and could only afford a few pills a month. She wouldn't tell Jessica when I came over. He pays her well and he pays for her daughter's privet school tuition because she is using the P.O. Box that he set up for them for a local address. He wanted to make her a live in made but Jessica had a problem with it. Not because of Alistair's tendency to philander but because the daughter is only 16 and there was a lot going on that she didn't want the girl to see. Alistair was thinking about building a guest house out back for them. I think the daughter's name was Claire."

I looked at Seth who was looking at me thoughtfully. I chew my lip and look back at Edward. "Anything else you could need to know?" he opened his mouth to answer me, but his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and stood walking a few steps away for privacy. I turned to Seth hoping to not see disgust or pity or anything that would make me want to put my face in some kind of corrosive acid. His lips met mine as soon as I turned and held his face to mine, grateful I gave that life up for this.

Edward's voice raising made us come back to reality and we watched him rant for a second. "No, you can't just…_Goddamnit Bella_ I said no! I found your sister; she is with me right now!" I was about to open my mouth or throw something at him or something but he covered his face and started to sob. Real or not I don't know but it sounded real as he pleaded for her to listen to him. "Please don't do this, I will come home now and we can talk through this."

Seth and I look at each other and back at Edward again. I guess Bella had had enough running around. Edward finally hanged up and sat heavily back inside the chair. "What did you need to know, my information is unimportant now."

I wanted to feel sorry for him but I just couldn't. "I need to know what you are dealing with here in the city, large company investments and what not. There is an underground company that is just surfacing and its main intimidation tactic is murder. There is a huge backer in Forks and it's not Alistair, so that leaves you." He looked at me incredulously and I shake my head. "I truly in my heart believe that if you are supplying money to this company, you have no idea what they are doing. You are a scumbag, not a murderer."

Edward stared at me for a long moment, as if I was some fountain of unyielding knowledge or something, but then the look glazed over back to grieving his now ended relationship and he nodded. "Alright, I will give your name to my bank and assistant and you will have any information you need in regards to that."

I nod and stand when he does, knowing there was nothing else I could possible get from him. "Thank you Edward, for the information. I am sorry that you and Bella didn't work out."

He shook his head and started to leave only to stop and turn back at me. "You should go home you know. You know how he is and no matter what might have happened since then, she was there for you when shit went bad, you know?" with that he turned and walked out of sight. I turned to Seth and gave him a small smile, but my brain was chewing over what Edward had just said to me.

* * *

It has been five days and I am literally going cross-eyed over this financial pile I have accrued from Edward. I am sitting at work going over all this with a permanent frown on my face. Lucky I didn't have any projects due because I probably would have been fired by now with all the lack of working I have been doing lately.

There was several "donations" to Paul's company, but nothing that could directly connect Edward with "The Pack" Insurance Company. Which was good, but also have me yet another dead end. I was getting ready to give up when a new pattern started. Along with the usually day to day and week to week transactions and the once a month donation to Paul, there was a new one that just said C&C EY.

Now what the fuck is that supposed to mean?

I looked at the clock and realized I had been off work for 15 minutes. I jumped up and grabbed the papers, shoving them in my brief case before heading for the elevators. I could ask Seth about this, maybe there is a connection with his company that he might recognize the letters.

I rushed out expecting to see him waiting for me down stairs but saw no trace of him. I frown and just turned to walk towards his building when my phone rang. Speak of the devil.

"Hey I was just coming your way." I said cautiously. I knew the call was probably to tell me don't bother.

"Yeah well we got court this week so we are held up. I will be home later, go ahead and get some dinner and I'll call you when we are all done here." He says, his voice is full of regret and longing.

I sigh dramatically, just to make him feel bad. "Okay, ill pick something up. I'll see you later. I got some information to tell you about our project anyways." I say secretly, as if anyone knows what we were doing.

"Alright, see you then." He said abruptly and then hanged up. What a douche, then again his boss Emily was probably in the room so I couldn't get too mad. She was an A class bitch. I headed home, picking up some subs on the way thinking over the bank statements.

I started to go over and categorize all the businesses in Forks so try and think who he would be paying this money too. God there was a lot of people with the C&C initials that could possibly make sense. I had four piles so far; Lawyers, banks, non-profit organizations and the last pile for whatever else I couldn't think of. I opened the phone book and started ripping off pages to make my piles. It was fun for the first ten minutes, however I have been here an hour now and I have three paper cuts and black fingers from the ink.

I am throwing the phone book, I am about to call it a night. I stand and spot a paper on the coffee table and I move to put it in the correct pile when I realize its one of Seth's pay stubs. I narrow my eyes at the paper and then freeze realizing his company could be files. Carrier and Carrier is an insurance law firm, which is perfect really. The way Emily is I wouldn't doubt—

_Oh shit_.

Carrier & Carrier CEO Emily Young… C&C EY …_Holy shit_!

I am out the door in my tennis shoes, sweat pants and tank top with no bra and it is fricken cold and I don't care. I had to get to Seth. He has to see this.

It only took me five minutes of solid running to reach Seth's office. I waved to Jenks, the door guy for the office building. Someone who I have managed to earned the respect of because I can argue like any lawyer. Especially when Seth needs a project after hours and I have to run it here from home.

I took the elevator, feeling awkward to sit still after running all the way here. I should have taken the stairs. It dinged to his floor and I shot out, naturally not seeing him at his desk. He would be in the conference room if he were working on a project, unless it was Emily's specific project and then in that case, she liked to do the prepping in her office.

I turned seeing the conference room dark and continued on towards Emily's office stopping dead in my tracks hearing a muffled moan. I clap my hand over my mouth praying it wasn't them. Wasn't him.

_Please no. God no please don't let it be him. Please_.

I slowly bent to the side of the door, looking into the windows that served as the walls to her office and was instantly glad I my hand over my mouth. Seth had Emily bent over her desk and was pounding into her like he was mad at her. She was moaning happily and my eyes blurred. I blindly run from the office, running into things as I go. When I reach the elevator I collapse onto the floor sobbing.

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	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Open the door!" he has already been outside for an hour and I was about to let him in now. Not because I felt bad, but because I had all my shit packed and was heading to the door to go to my car.

I open the door and he looks furious. Good. Fuck him. The look I give him must say something because he can see I wasn't just playing around. Not that I should have been. The first four 'fuck you' s should have been enough of a hint.

His mouth opened and shut and opened again without making a noise. "Yeah that is what I thought. Once again, fuck you. Goodbye."

"Ace, come on, just wait, let me explain some shit." He said grabbing my wrist. I jerk my arm back and glare at him hard.

"I came to the office; there is nothing left to explain. I have the evidence to put away the head of 'The Pack Insurance' owner. It's on the table. Fuck you have a nice life. Do NOT follow me or I will shoot your dick off."

It took three trips which took some ire out of my exit but I go to snap at him again when he tried to help me. I made it to the Seattle sign. The same one I stopped at on the way in before I burst into tears. I have only a little shame in saying, I called my daddy.

He had a small apartment in Rockford still and wasn't going back any time soon, he said I could have it for as long as I needed it. He also has some cash, though I insisted I didn't need it, he wouldn't hear of it. Not that I am complaining, I just quit my job basically by leaving the city and dumped my boyfriend whom I caught cheating with his boss.

It's been a bad day for me.

It didn't seem as long to me to drive home then it took to drive to the city. I really needed to touch base with Bella, just so she can call off the dogs, so to speak.

When I pulled up to the parking lot I already felt sick. Oh god what was I doing? I was coming home. I have a right to be here. I nod a bunch to convince myself and then hope out of the car.

I heard voices as I got closer; since the front door was open but the screen door was closed.

Bella was laughing, turning in Alistair's lap. "Awe what's wrong wittle Alist jealous? You want me to talk to you all lovey-dovey?"

_Oh barf and a fuck my life to add to that_.

"Yeah, I agree that is more than enough." I said standing at the door of the bar making everyone look up and synchronously freeze. I laughed.

Bella scrambled off his lap to her feet. "Nessie?"

I couldn't help it, but Bella brought the bitch out of me, so I raised my hand stilling Bella from coming any closer. "No, no, no. Don't trouble yourself, loving sister, I can see you have your hands full being hypocritical and all. I got it."

Alistair stood. _Fuck he still looked good_. "Ness, where have you been?"

I gave a snort lighting a cigarette and leaned against the door. "Like you give a shit? I can see you haven't changed, just moving on to another sister?" My gaze moved to Jess and Peter. "Oh there is something I didn't see coming but I can't say that I am not surprised, she is a closet whore that apparently had a complex."

Jess jumped up but Peter held her back while I just smiled. "That's okay; I can see that you are no longer the only whore in town." I said looking at Bella pointedly, who narrowed her eyes dangerously.

Alistair grabbed her hand just as she started to charge forward. "Why, you spoiled little bitch! I raised you! This is how you fucking treat me?" Ouch, low blow. I actually gasped but Bella ignored it. "You're so loose with the word whore when you were sleeping with Jake your boyfriend, Alistair your side fling AND my boyfriend? Who is the fucking whore?"

"Fuck you Bella with your, oh he's just a dog and oh you can do so much better, blah, blah, blah." I said my voice getting shrill and my hands waving around in anger. "Low and fucking behold you are so much better than me to be able to fuck one man while seeing another!"

Bella looked like she had been slapped, looking back at me. I had nothing left in me but to just sneer knowing I had stuck a nerve. "Yeah that's right I know about that. I know you just recently fell into my category." I grinned crossing my arms.

Alistair just shook his head, Jess, however, not ever being a fan of mine, did not have any problem saying what she was thinking. Oh fucking joy. "How is it that you came to find that out? Where you with Edward? I only ask because he sure as hell wasn't here."

I gave her my icy glare. "He came looking for me. It was more than any of you did. I saw him fall apart when Bella called to dump him for him." I spat the last word like a swear word, looking straight at Alistair.

Bella was staring at nothing, but a small dark smile played on her lips. "I didn't tell him I was leaving him for anyone. In fact he called me saying it wasn't working out and I told him I agreed." she shook her head. "He also said that he was alone and hadn't found you yet."

Jess laughed imitating her stance crossing her arms. "Looks like you haven't quite shaken the old habits have you, Ness."

_What the fuck… Edward set me up. I should have known better. Well there are now some sprinkles for my day_.

"That is not what it is at all! He found me and it brought me back you horrible pricks!" I said seething. "You think that you know me for who I used to be and I am guilty of the same fault, but don't be so sure. I have been through more than ANY of you assholes could imagine and fuck you very much if you don't think it hasn't made me a better fucking person!"

I spun on my heel and slammed the bar door on my way out hearing the wall clock fall off.

There is some comfort in knowing that Bella had no idea where I was. Knowing her, she would be here eventually with two cups of coffee, some doughnuts, and an apology and I want nothing to do with that right now.

I groan cursing the morning seeping through the blinds with a prodigious of hate of the worst kind. It had been a week and I knew I had to make up with my sister in due course but today was not that day. Tomorrow didn't look good either. The next day held no promise.

I had to get another job that is my first on the agenda for the day. Call me anything you want, but I am very firm and forth with the idea that you pay your own way. Even growing up as spoiled as I was, I always needed a job. I never wanted to be accused of living off someone else.

I got up and put on the coffee and was very pleased down to my toes to see the paper was actually delivered here. So I pulled that to the table while the coffee brewed and got to work, looking for employment. If I could get paid to look for jobs I would be rich. I sigh seeing very few possibilities here in Rockford. That reminded me…

I picked up my cell phone and called the office. "Hey Mr. Bennet…Yeah I know, I apologize but they told me to call you directly when you got back from vacation…yes sir, a family emergency has come up and I am going to have to relocate back to Rockford."

I listened, waiting for the speech about irresponsibility and all that but instead I got… laughter? "Sir? Are you okay?"

"Yes, Renesmee I am sorry, but just before you called I got handed orders from above saying I needed a field consultant in the Rockford area since we just picked up three new clients there." He said, his voice told me he was grinning. God bless Mr. Bennet. "Are you interested?"

"Yes! Oh god I was so depressed having to lose my job! Yes!" _Okay enough, tone it down now_. "Yes, thank you sir, so much! I really appreciate it!"

"I will touch base with you and the clients and set up meetings, I want conference calls weekly to home base and you have a meeting here in the city once a month." He said, getting down to business. I hardly cared about the specifics. I was able to keep my job!

"You got it sir, no problem, send everything to my email!"

We said out goodbye and I did a little happy dance. That was even before my coffee. What's next on my list?

There was a knock on the door and I peeked out the peephole and swore loudly. _Oh yeah that's right, Bella was on that list_. I sigh dramatically and open the door, stepping a side and letting her in.

She came in with her hands full of doughnuts and coffee and I rolled my eyes, but allowed a small smirk to show. No one can say I don't know my sister.

I closed the door and crossed my arms, looking at her expectantly. She looked right back and handed me a coffee. "What? You were a bitch, so was I. That's what we do, so if you're going to hold a grudge about it then I'm eating your doughnut." She looked as serious as death and it was a good thing I had not taken a sip of my coffee yet because I sputtered out a laugh that would have sent coffee everywhere. She grinned and opened her arms and I obliged hugging her tight.

"You know I never set out to hurt you right?" She whispered in my ear as we hugged, making me hug her tighter, showing her I knew. _In my heart, I knew_. I still didn't fucking like it, but I knew she would never intentionally hurt me like that.

"I don't want to know anything about how you two got together." I whispered back. "Like seriously, never."

She nodded fast and pulled back, running a finger under her eyes to fix the make up that was still flawless but somehow it was a woman habit to fix the smearing makeup. "Fine, I don't care, tell me about what you have been doing!" she sat perched at the cheap table set that was my dining room and looked at me expectantly. I really didn't realize how much I missed my sister until that very moment.

"Oh my god you wouldn't even believe!" I started off and launched into my story. I started at that Seattle sign and ended with going to the bar last night. She sat stunned for a moment when I was done. It was already after noon and I was up making lunch since her silence made me a little uneasy. "So…" I held my breath, wondering which part of the past six months she would target for my seriously reckless behavior. "What about your kittens?"

I gasped. "The kids, how could I have forgotten them?" I exclaimed, making Bella look at me for a second before she realized we were talking about the same thing. "They will think I abandon them!"

"Well the next time we go up there, we will just have to go to that apartment and get them back, wont we?" she said looking firm and confident. I had to laugh at the absurdity of our conversation.

"We are talking about kidnapping kittens. Also, who said we? You're coming now?" I joked, looking her over with mock suspicion.

"Fuck yeah I am going and I have half a mind to sic Alistair on that dickhead." She said with 100% seriousness.

"Oh my god, no! First, awkward for both Alistair and I both, second, I would like him hurt not killed!" I let some humor seep into my voice. You can't blame me if the mental image of Seth getting his face punched in by Alistair of all people just… made me smile.

I set a grilled cheese sandwich in front of her with a cup of soup and then sat across her with my own, but just looked at her. She was fidgeting. It meant she wanted to say something but wasn't sure how I was going to take it. "Oh my god Bella, would you just spit it out already?"

She sighed and looked up. "Well, umm… me and Alistair are moving in together and since it will be available and rent free for you, I was wondering if you would want my apartment?"

_Guh, yuck, keep it cool_.

"That is … super for you and really nice, Bella, but no thank you. The clients that my job is sending me to see is closer to this place." _I had no idea_. "And you know how much I love the east side." _I hate it_. "And I really do hate moving." _Actually, I really do hate moving_. "To do it again so soon…"

_Yeah that was real smooth_.

She nodded and gave a smile with a small shrug. "Okay, well I just wanted you to have the first shot at it before I put it on the market."

I gave her a genuine smile. "Thank you, sis, I really appreciate it."

I was at the bank a few weeks later setting up my direct deposit for work through the bank closer to my apartment when I could have sworn I had seen Edward. Ironically, the thing that distracted me from going over to the look-a-like's sorry ass and beating him was a call from Bella sounding a little freaked out.

"What's wrong?" I ask, heading back to my car worrying my lip.

"Have you been getting any weird texts? Like kinda creepy?" she explained to me that she had been getting a few random and unrelated but still creepy texts all week. "Like what?"

"Like I was at the store shopping and I got a text that says: "Even in the store you are a stunning sight." And I about had a panic attack in the frozen veggie isle." She said laughing lightly but I could hear it in her voice. She was still very scared.

"Bella I think maybe you should go to the police about that. Also, call your cell carrier, tell them to block the number and they have to for your safety. It's against the law for them not to." I have my own small laugh to try and lighten the conversation a little. "I have had enough ex-boyfriends to know that trick."

She laughed and I could tell it was more natural. I hanged up with her and headed back to the apartment to find a large man peeking through my windows. "Umm, Jake?"

He spun around grinning and held out his arms. It was so nice to see him, but I went to him with less vigor then I usually would. He held me tightly to his chest and sighed in my hair. "I heard, I am sorry peaches." I rolled my eyes at his nickname and pulled back some with a brow lifted.

He sighs again and nods to the door silently asking to come inside. I slide past him and open the door, getting us both in and closing it behind me. Jake sat heavily on the cheaply made couch and put his head in his hands. "She left me when she found out you were gone."

I snorted and went to the kitchen. I though about starting coffee, but this seemed more like an alcohol kind of occasion. I went to the fridge and pulled out two sodas and bottle of Bacardi. I made us some drinks and came in handing him a cup. "You know there is a line for that ride."

Jake rolled his eyes taking the drink and clinked with me. "Here we are, ex's together crying over our ex's." he grinned.

I snorted taking a drink. "I am done wasting perfectly good tears on him."

He eyed me and then took a drink of his own. I told him about Bella and Alistair and I have to say the bitter laugh he gave stung a little, but I understood what he was thinking. Why did we go through all that pain if he was going to end up with Bella anyways? It was really good just handing out with Jake again, as friends. No hidden agendas and no plans for ruining the other's relationship. And I told him so.

"You planned on ruining my relationship?" he asked with humor coloring his tone.

I smirked winking at him. "Oh yeah baby, I was going to take that bitch down by her cheap blond extensions!" I grinned at him.

"DUDE THEY WERE SO GROSS!" he shouted and we both burst out laughing. "How could you tell?"

"Are you kidding me?" I crowed. "I saw that shit a mile away from the first night in the bar!"

He was laughing hard trying to talk and breath at the same time. "She was so pissed to finally see you!" I tilted my head confused, scooting closer to him only because I was concerned about the color his face was turning. "I think she expected you to be this ugly hunch back ogre, but you turned out to be this feisty red headed beauty."

I blushed slightly smirking at the image of her being pissed that I was pretty. I can see why he found this so humorous. He was calming down and touched his finger against my chin lightly. "I am sorry that he ruined my second chance with you." I frowned again not understanding the depth at which he was coming from now with the sudden shift in mood.

"He got his chance with you and he fucked up. I know that burns, no matter how tough you act." He shrugged kissing me lightly on the cheek. "And now you will never be the same again. No one will ever be good enough because they are not him."

I though about it for a moment and realized he was right. I looked into his eyes and he saw my amazement. Very slowly, he leaned in again and kissed my lips softly, pulling back and standing up heading for the door. "Yes I know the feeling and no it wasn't Kate. It was you. It will always be you."

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	13. Chapter 13

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Chapter 13

The knock on my door was annoying the first time. After about twenty minutes I was annoyed enough to actually get up. I threw on a robe and got up, making my way through the small apartment yelling out that I would be right there as I detoured to the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker.

When I opened the front door, I recognized the face immediately causing me to slam it shut again. "Fuck off."

There was a light thump as if he rested his head against the door before saying, "Come on Ace and open the door. This isn't about me and you."

I stayed silent, trying to consider the truth in that statement when I heard him quietly mumbling to someone. "See? I told you that you should have done this alone. She hates me."

"Shut the fuck up Clearwater, you are the one that made this mess, now I am here cleaning it up." Said a deeper, more impatient voice and then there was another knock, a little harder.

"Ms. Swan? I am Agent Gael, Randall Gael and I am an Agent of the FBI." The deep, calm voice said through the door.

FBI?! I slowly opened the door up and a handsome, kind of fidgety guy in a tan trench coat greeted me with a practiced and professional smile. "FBI?"

He nodded in answer and flipped out a leather fold that held a badge and an ID card with Randall James Gael shown for the name. He was handsome in a CSI kind of way, with a steel blue eyes and messy brow hair. It looked as though he was born to wear the suit and tie he was in and it was of course covered with the tan trench coat because what would Washington be without all the rain. I focused on him, completely ignoring Seth all together. "Why is the FBI at my door step?"

"I am the FBI." Seth said from somewhere behind Agent Gael. The good Agent reacted with an eye roll and bowed gently to me. "Ma'am, if you didn't mind, I will give you a moment to collect yourself while I confer with my associate here and then there are very urgent things that I would like to discuss with you."

_I noticed he didn't call Seth his partner_.

I have Agent Gael a winning sexy smile and moved aside so they could enter. I could see in from the side of my vision that Seth was glaring a hole into Gael's head. I left to head to my bedroom and close the door behind me. Instantly my façade dropped and my hands were shaking badly.

_HE IS FUCKING FBI?! Why didn't he tell me? He knew who my dad was! The fist day he moved in, he knew!_ I start breathing fast and heavy as the panic rises in my chest.

I had to take a few deep breaths before I could make myself move away from the door and get dressed. Thank god, for the bathroom in this room, I didn't have to dash across the hall to get a quick wash up and throw a little make up one. I did my hair and when I looked as sexy and sweet as I could, I left the room with my bright smile tightly screwed on.

"Can I offer you a cup of coffee?" I said walking past them into the kitchen, prying that if this is a dream to wake up now. _Now… okay now. Fuck_.

"I would love some, ma'am, thank you." Agent Gael says, giving me a small smirk as he picks up on my tactic. I like him, he is smart and a bonus he can shut Seth up. Wisely Seth didn't say a word and I got two cups and filled them carefully returning to the living room where I gently set them to the table.

"Now, please tell me what I can do for you today?"

Agent Gael took an appreciative sip of his coffee and then sat up straighter in his chair. "Ms. Swan, you are an acquaintance of a Mr. Edward Mason, am I right?"

I frown, taken by surprise by the first question is not a good way to start this thing. I nod watching his face for any clue as to where this was going.

"Alright Ms. Swan—"

I smile slightly. "Reneesme, please."

His eyebrow went up and he smirked slightly giving a quick assessing look. "That is kind of a mouthful." I think Seth's jaw was going to fall off at the tone his superior just laid on me. It was suggestive to say the very least. It made me shiver. _Okay I really like this guy now._

I smirk and he goes on with his questioning. "Reneesme, Edward Mason was a huge backer for this. Now special Agent Clearwater here said Mr. Mason was fully aware of his actions and what he was buying into."

I was already shaking my head. "No, I think he is a very smart man, but with genius comes the loss of common sense. He was in on it so he could make a quick turn around and profit. I don't think he knew the full extent of it."

"You're seriously going to cover for him?" Seth said coldly sitting up on the couch. "After all that douche bag put you through?"

"No, Agent Clearwater, I am not covering for anyone." I said just as cold, no emotion coloring my voice at all. "I am telling the truth because I will not use what happened in the past to move my hand or decisions in any one direction."

"That's bullshit, Ace, and you know it!" Seth exploded making me jump and push back in my chair. Agent Gael jumped to his feet grabbing Seth by his collar and hauling him up to his feet and out the front door. "You fucking stay there without one fucking word and that is a fucking order. If you dare to move or open your goddamned mouth until I say so, I will make sure you live to regret it!"

Seth was breathing hard as he stumbled out side staring me down and I stared steadily back not even recognizing him as the man I lived with and befriended and was almost in love with.

Agent Gael came back and put on a small smile before addressing me. "Reneesme, would you mind if I came back later, just me, to get these questions answered. It's very important."

I gave a shaky smile and nodded, even touching him lightly on the arm. "Why Agent Gael why don't you come around five and I will cook you dinner?"

The FBI Agent lit up as he smiled nodding. "Yes ma'am, I will do that. I promise." He said winking. "See you tonight."

I get how messed up that looks and believe me I dwelled on it all day but really it comes down to this. First of all, Seth being an FBI agent or not has nothing to do with the fact that he cheated on me. Second, I warned him when he was getting close to Kate that he needed a new way of getting information out of informants and that was even before I knew he was an agent.

Third, Agent Gael is a very nice and handsome guy, but I am not going to be jumping into bed with him. It's dinner to discuss 'very important' FBI matters. I hardly see this as sexy date material.

Finally, so what if as soon as he walked through that door, I raped the poor man. I am a grown woman who is newly single and deserves a good man. Although I still think that Jake was right when he said that Seth ruined everyone else for me. Especially trusting FBI agents as boyfriend type substance because honey I have rode that horse and it chafes.

I sigh for the fourth time as I'm stirring the pan of fried garlic and butter I'm cooking for the garlic bread. I am making a big deal out of nothing. I shook my head and turned off the stove and bring the bread over to dip them in the sauce one by one.

I was so lost in thought that when there was knocking at the door I jumped dropping the bread into the pan of butter making it splash back burning my exposed arms. I screamed in surprise and the cursed like a sailor when I felt the burn set in. there was a bang from the front door and Agent Gael came in, gun drawn and looking around for apparently something to kill.

I started laughing, hysterically and irrationally. Agent Gael ignored me and holstered his gun, coming closer to look at my arms. They looked pretty bad, the pink they were a second ago was quickly turning to bright angry red. _Fuck, I had butter stains all over the dress I picked for the evening_. I suddenly feel like crying. I'm wearing it on my face because he gently leads me to the back of the apartment to me room. He sat me down on the toilet and started digging around looking for something until he came up successful with a first aid kit. I realized I haven't even said 'hello' to him.

"I am not usually this insane." I say randomly, watching his face as he concentrates on putting burn cream on my arms and bandaging them up. A small smile quirks up and his eyes skip up to mine briefly before going back to what he was doing.

"I don't think that you're insane at all." He says quietly. I am pretty sure he is paying harder attention to the bandaging then really needed.

I cock my head to question that but decide that I don't know him well enough to judge his looks. Instead, I look down at my grease ruined dress. "I ruined the dress I was going to wear tonight."

He put his hand out and helped me to my feet before giving me a once over. "Well, you had your beauty sold when you were in pajamas so if you want you can change back into those."

I laughed and lead him back out to the living room before instructing him where the wine was and heading to my room alone to change. I changed into a simple black dress and skipped the shoes. He was right, we met when I was in pajamas and there was no need to be too fancy now.

He had the wine and two glasses out, slowly filling them. He looked up when I entered the room and gave a low whistle making me laugh. "You know when I think FBI, I really don't imagine someone like you." I confessed, gathering the abandoned dinner and setting everything on the table.

"What is it you imagined?" he asked, going into the cabinets without having to be told where everything was, carefully setting the table.

"Well… Seth actually." I said giving a shrug and carefully watching his expression.

He laughs nodding. "We will get back to that line of conversation. I would actually like to just talk about the fact that you are one of the two daughters of Agent Charlie Swan."

I sit at the table, taking a sip from my wine before I answer that. I actually kind of expected it, but hoped it wouldn't come up. I didn't like the fame and stain that came with knowing who my father is. "Yes, I am. Is he involved with the case or are you just dropping names so we are both aware of who I am?"

He lifted a brow at my bitchy come back but the smile on his lips told me he was impressed that my fathers past didn't intimidate me. What he did was on him, not me. He dug into dinner, apparently putting the questioning on hold while we ate. It was pleasant, not feeling like we had to fill every second with chat or explanations. I didn't know Agent Gael from any other FBI Agent that might have walked through my door this morning, but I felt comfortable.

We took our wine glasses to the couch along with another bottle and he got down to business. "I am actually very impressed with your work, Ms. Swan."

I quirked a small smirk and nodded. "Thank you, Agent Gael."

"I am serious, you had an FBI agent living with you and you figured this whole thing out before he did." He shook his head, clearly disappointed in said Agent. _That makes two of us. _

"Yeah well, he had different method then me, clearly." I said going for a refill on my wine.

"May I ask you a personal question, Ms. Swan?"

"Only if you stop calling me Ms. Swan." I countered with a smile.

"Reneesme it is then." He smiled and I shook my head. "You can throw your nick name in the pot, everyone finds Reneesme to be a handful of a name." I said, almost apologetically.

He instantly started shaking his head and smiled. "Reneesme suits you. It's unusual and beautiful." He shrugged as if it was common knowledge and yes, I blushed. Even with a cheese-ball line like that. "I have read Agent Clearwater's report on his time in Seattle, however I am unclear what it is that caused such… animosity."

"Then he was unclear with his actual activities in Seattle because if he had put everything in that report then you would know exactly why the animosity." I said not coldly but sadly. I was sick to death of being sad, but it just hurt that he couldn't even admit to it.

Agent Gael cocked his head and I sighed. "I was his girlfriend." I saw by the expression on his face that that was exactly the unclear part in this story. "I figured everything out and in my excitement and urgency I ran over to his office where I personally got to see what was keeping him working late that night."

_Drain the glass, please sir can I have another?_

He leaned forward and took my glass from me and looked me strait in the eyes. "He left your name out of the report other then to name you as a roommate. I am sorry that his job made him a special kind of douche bag. You don't deserve that."

I smiled and could easily see that even though he is a very handsome man, it was his personality that made him skyrocket into the sexy category. "I would love to agree with all of that statement. However, he didn't have to use the methods he did. The job just gave him the excuse, he still chose the action."

"I would have said the same if I wasn't trying to make you feel better." He said honestly. He stood taking his glass to the sink and washing it out. I followed, mine newly refilled. "Agent Gael, may I ask you something?"

He was drying his hands when he turned to look at me. "Only if you would please disregard my FBI status and see me as a pretty handsome guy having dinner with you tonight?" I smirked and nodded.

"Done."

"Good, then in that case call me Randall."

I grinned at the privilege like a loon and nodded again. "Done again." I looked at him, my grin fading to seriousness. "Do you think I am being too harsh about the situation?"

"What with Agent Clearwater?" I nodded. "I normally be drawn to loyalty of my Agent and tell you, yes. It's part of the job and if it is a life and death case, which it most often is, then I encourage our Agents to do what they must."

I nodded and frowned, ready to write an apology to my sister and father because I decided then and there to become a lesbian. _All men were in on this shit together_.

"However, because I know you and know what exactly happened I can confidently say that no, you are not at all over reacting. You have every right to be mad at him. For a long time." There was a smirk and mischievous glint in his eyes that made me burst out laughing. "Forever, if you have to. Do you want me to hold him down while you kick him? You should also get over this by dating another FBI Agent, whom by the way has no problem being a rebound."

"Oh well, Randall, I will just have to go over to head quarters tomorrow and look for such an Agent." I said, still laughing.

"Head Quarters?" he said laughing too, heading to the door.

I grinned nodding. "Oh yeah, I know the lingo."

He smiled and grabbed his coat sliding it on. "Thank you, Reneesme, for a much needed interesting evening." I felt the heat on my cheeks and I dropped my chin to hide it some. I felt his fingers at the bottom of my chin and I looked up meeting his gaze. "You know I feel like I need to come clean with something."

I gave a small frown but stayed silent, not really trusting any comment to come from my mouth just now. "I lied to you before. I am not looking to be a rebound."

He smiled at me and headed out without another word.

_Well then_.

"Alist, where is Bella today? I have to tell her something." I said, walking into the bar the next morning.

He was in a foul mood, I could tell. It probably had to do with the fact that it was Saturday and he never worked Saturdays.

"She is at home, where I should be." He grumped making Jessica roll her eyes dramatically.

I looked at my watch. I had to run to my clients place to go over the details of the new contracts we just signed. I guess I could stop over when I was done. It had been a while since we hung out and I wanted her opinion on all of this guy mess.

I was heading to the door when I heard the bar phone ring behind me. Jess answered it and it stopped me in my tracks when I heard her. "Bella? What's wrong?"

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	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

I looked back watching Alistair read something Jessica had written on a piece of paper and took off towards the door. I wasn't far behind, but he had the motorcycle and I dropped my keys at least three times because my hands were shaking so badly.

When I finally got into my car, it took me four tries before I realized the car wasn't starting. Fuck! What the hell was going on today?

I got out and ran full speed for the bar. "Jessica! Where are the keys for the supply truck?" I said urgently. Jessica and I still didn't get along but I was in no mood to fuck around right now. She looked like she wanted to protest really badly but instead she nodded back toward the offices. "They are in Peter's desk, in the Jack drawer."

If I hadn't worked here, I would have had no idea what she was talking about, but then again, you really just had to know the boys. I moved the large Jack bottle out of the way and grabbed the keys ready to run out when I saw the paper work under the bottle.

_Quit-Claim Deed_

_I, __**Peter Whitlock**__, give full permission with sound mind and body, to peaceably and forcibly remove __**Maximillian Williams**__ from all deed holding privileges and responsibilities due to: __**Unreliability due to incarceration**__. _

_This document was seen and understood by __**Maximillian Williams C/O: Jim FitzGarald**__ and recognized in the state of __**Washington**__, city of __**Forks**__, and county of __**Clallam**__ as a legal and binding action. __**James Woodland**__ at the Notary Public in __**Clallam County, Washington**__ over saw this contract. _

_Holy shit! Peter got the deed and partnership dissolved_! I grabbed the papers with the keys as I shot out of the bar running for the back of the bar where I knew they always parked the truck.

By the time, I reached Alistair and Bella's apartment, the police where everywhere and they wouldn't let me near Bella. She spotted me in the quickly growing crowed of people and came over hugging me tight. I just held her tight and told her it was going to be okay. She never told me what happened, but seeing her alive and walking around was good enough for me. The rest was just details.

They eventually forced her to speak with the cops again; Alistair's protective arm wrapped around her while he spoke on the phone. I knew she was in good hands and I wasn't going to bother them with the contract I found tonight. I will pay a visit the bar tomorrow or the next day to see what was up.

I started to head back to the truck but stopped dead in my tracks seeing a familiar tan trench coat leaning casually against the driver's door.

"You know, I am almost sure that this was a little under the FBI's pay grade." I cocked my head as I started forward again. "Speaking of which, what is the FBI's pay grade?"

Agent Gael laughed and pushed off the door to straighten up properly. "Well not enough if you ask me. I heard your sister's name on the scanner."

I pretended to gasp as I opened the driver door and threw my bag in, turning to face him. "You know that is a naughty thing to be doing when you are not involved in a relevant investigation, Agent Gael."

The smirk on his lips got more mischievous. "I forget sometimes that you are the daughter of a one of the best field Agent's we have."

"Do well to remember." I said jokingly hopping into the cab. "Hey what are you doing right now, other then stalking me?"

"Stalking you was the only thing I had on my agenda today."

"Good because my car wouldn't start so I borrowed the bar's truck and I need a ride to my apartment." I said smiling sweetly. Agent Gael laughed and bowed. "Well in that case I would love to stalk you further."

I grinned hopping into the truck and headed back to the bar slowly so that Agent Gael could follow me. The bar closed up early when we arrived, so I dropped the truck keys into the mail slot. I walked over to my car where Agent Gael had the hood up. He actually ditched the trench coat and rolled his sleeves up. When I walked up on him, he already had a grease smudge across his cheek.

"Agent Gael, I had not realized how handy you were to keep around." I joked leaning against the side of the car.

I head him laugh from under the hood. "You think so, but really I am just staring at nothing and checking the oil over and over to look like I know something."

I grinned, peeking around the hood to watch him. He had a small frown on his brow as he looked over the engine. "What's wrong?"

He pointed before talking so I came fully around the hood so that I could see what he was showing me. "This is the fuel line, see how it's frayed and broken?" I nodded staring at the damaged line. It looked like a rat or small animal had been chewing on it. "Okay so that wouldn't be that concerning, however this…" My eyes followed his hands as they traveled along another line and then dropped to my hands and kneed with him as the line disappeared under the card.

"Break line." I said numbly.

"Right, that means that this wasn't just coincidence that you car wouldn't start. It was done in a hurry and very sloppy but they knew enough to cover their tracks." He stood and helped me to my feet. "I am going to have an Agent come and look this over with the local police now and I am coming home with you."

I stared at him blank faced and he lifted a brow at me. "Or else would you rather have Agent Clearwater stay the night on your couch?"

I instantly shook my head and sighed. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, Agent, it's just that is all this really needed. I mean it could have been a number of the whole lot of people I have managed to piss off over the years."

He was wiping his hands on his jeans before he crossed his arms and leaned casually against the front of the car looking at me. "Look, no one will tell you out right probably, but I want you to know the seriousness of this situation. Not out here. Let me get you home, borrow your sink for washing up in and I will order food, on me. You provide some alcohol and I will provide the information the police is withholding."

I look at him for a moment before giving a nod. "Okay deal."

We got to the apartment and I gave him the go ahead to take my bathroom to wash up some. He left me his credit card so I ordered some food and popped open a bottle of jack and waited for him to come back.

"You know, as unmanly as your soap is, it's very pleasant on my hands." He says in a feminine voice as he came out of the bathroom.

"You're an idiot."

He grins and wiggles his brows. When we sit down to eat, he is quiet, thinking how what exactly he will tell me I'm guessing. When he finally looks up to speak, there is concern all over his face. "Okay so here is the skinny. Your sister has been targeted by someone personally and they sent her some pretty aggressive threats."

I frowned looking at him. "What like the text messages?"

He sat up straighter staring at me hard. "Text messages?"

Uh oh. "Um, she was getting some creepy texts about a month ago, but they stopped so she didn't think much of it after that."

Agent Gael rubbed his face and shook his head. "Okay back burner that for now. No, it wasn't texts she got tonight; it was a box of pictures. They were all over her, even very personal ones taken…" He shook is head looking like he was still trying to understand. "It looked like it would have been impossible for anyone not to have noticed him taking them, as in bedroom pictures."

My hand went to my mouth. "_Oh my god_, no wonder she was so freaked out!"

Gael nodded somberly taking a sip from his wine glass before continuing. "So like I said at the bar, I will stay with you tonight. On the job of course." He said winking at me.

I nodded distracted as I thought this whole thing through. I wasn't so hungry all of a sudden, so I pushed my plate away as I stared at my wine glass. "Can I ask you a question, Gael?"

He leaned back in his chair watching my face. "Of course."

"Agent Clearwater, did he… just do it for the job?" I looked up at him and saw he was frowning.

"I don't know what was going on in his head when he—"

"No, no, I mean… living with me and …everything." I quickly gulped the whole glass down in anticipation for the answer to that.

Agent Gael shook his head. "I honestly believe that he thought he could separate himself from the case which he was already knee deep in with you following behind and you and your relationship at home."

My lips twitched, itching to call him on how bad it was killing him to say that about Seth, but it made me respect him even more. He shone a nice light on Seth's betrayal for the sake of telling me the truth. "Thank you for your honesty, Agent Gael."

He smiled picking up out plates and walking to the sink. "Well in the short time that I have known you there is one thing that I do know. You will cut a person off for lying faster then if they called you every horrible name you could think of."

I snorted. He wasn't wrong, I would disown my own sister if she lied to me, but everything that we have done to each other in the past and we are still there for each other because no matter what, we are honest. I poured us more wine, just handing him the glass when there was a knock on the door.

Gael made me stay put while he went to the door to answer it, slowly opening it a crack before letting out a sigh and opening it up further. Seth walked in looking around.

"Drinking on the job, Agent?" he sneered looking at the glasses. "Ace, it seems you have a type that I should have been aware of. I came over concerned about what happened with your sister today."

"It seems you were beat to it." I said evenly, my hand was itching to slap the judgment off that I saw all over his face.

He turned looking at Gael with a nasty smile. "I guess so, much to my surprise. Seeing how I only just got the information about an hour ago."

"I heard the call go out and recognized the name. If you were paying attention to actual Agent work and not sulking around like a crushed teenager, then maybe you would have heard the call too." Gael said, staring down Seth, his eyes clearly daring him to make another move. Verbally or otherwise.

Seth's hands went up with a sort of smirk on his face. "Don't bind up that thong Agent, like I said, I came to offer help but I see that I have been out ranked." He started to head back towards the door. His steps were sure and he wasn't wobbling in the slightest but I could tell right off, what was wrong with him.

"Seth?" I called out, just as his hand touched the door knob. He looked back at me with his eyes flashing some kind of hope.

"Yes?"

"Unless you are planning on spending the night, as Agent Gael here is, please don't come by here drunk again." I said firmly looking into his eyes. His face turned stony and the stare he gave back was void of emotion. Whoa, scary.

"What's wrong ace, afraid of what might come out of my mouth when I have loosened up the filter?"

I shook my head trying to keep a brave face when the look he was giving me made me wasn't to hide. "No, I'm just afraid."

For a split second he lost his bravado and it looked like I just slapped him hard across the face, but he reined it in and wiped his face of expression. "I have never given you a reason to."

I gave him a sad look before offering a watery smile. "You just did."

He slammed the door on the way out of my apartment making me jump. I barely turned to tell the Agent that I was fine before I felt the light start to go out behind my eyes and before I could hit the ground, I'm being carried to the bedroom.

"You know, I thought he was joking when he said you were a fainter." Gael joked laying me gently down. He got up again very professionally and stood next to the bed looking down at me. "Do you need a glass of water or cold compress or anything?"

I tried to give a have laugh but ended up giving a small sob. "I'm sorry."

He frowned sitting on the edge of the bed, still keeping a professional distance between us. "You know that he is only acting like this because he feels guilty for what he's done."

I nodded looking at the ceiling. "I know." I ignored the hot tears that went down my face as I looked at him. "You know what he told me when I confessed to him about my ex and everything that had gone wrong in that relationship?"

Gael, bless his heart, only looked back at me. Not committing to one way or another just in case there was a wrong answer to that.

"He said that cheating and lying aren't struggles of a confused man, but they are reasons to keep the length of arm between him and happiness he is denying himself."

He gestured to me and patted my hand comfortingly, if not a little awkwardly. "So he is smart enough to know what he did wrong. He is just too stupid not to do it in the first place."

I gave a short laugh and looked at him seriously. "Tell me stories?"

He smiled at me and started in, telling me all kinds of stories from cases he worked or cases other Agents had worked and told him about. It wasn't very long before I started drifting away.

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	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: sorry this took so long, i am alternating my updates with this and Swan Brothers! Hope this was worth the wait!**_

Chapter 15

I'm shaken awake, despite my best efforts to swat the annoying interruption to my REM cycle bliss. "Ace, get up!"

_Seth_? "Seth? What are you doing…?"

"Alistair's been shot, we have to go! Now!" he said urgently. I was wide awake, jumping out of bed and hopping around the room as I tried to get dressed as fast as I could. "Toothbrush and tell me what happened."

Seth ran into the bathroom and came back with a loaded tooth brush handing it to me shaking his head. "I don't know. I just heard the police chatter that he was shot out front of the bar. They are headed to the hospital now."

_They_?! "Bella…"

Seth looked pained as he watched my face. "I don't know, I think she is okay, but there was mass panic there, apparently the other owner—"

"Peter." I supplied and Seth nodded. "Peter, he ran after the shooter and caught him, but I couldn't catch the name."

I bushed my teeth enough for my breath to be possible without killing anyone and we're heading for the door. I snatched my keys and was already half way to my car before something clicked. "What happened to Agent Gael?"

Seth shrugged and stole the keys from me pushing me to the passenger seat. I glared at him but got in on the passenger side nervously. "Oh god Seth, what happened? You don't know anything?"

He shook his head but kept his eyes on the road and a hand on mine, holding me together. It wouldn't quiet my agonizing worries that echoed through my head though. Oh, whom did Alistair cop an attitude with to get himself shot? Please god let Bella be okay. _Please_.

We pulled into the hospital and I fought against the seatbelt that didn't seem to want to let me out. I was about to lose my cool when Seth grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "Ace, stop! Stop it!"

I was pretty sure I was about to growl at him but he easily clicked off the seatbelt, pulling me to him at the same time. He held my arms as he kissed me hard demanding I listen to him.

I dissolved into sobs, knowing I was being so weak, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't go into that hospital and have them tell me that my sister was killed. I clung to Seth, desperately hoping that if I just held on then maybe this was all a bad dream. This will all go away if I just hold on tight enou—.

A knock at the window made us jump apart and actually screamed some with the face that greeted me. Agent Gael was waiting outside the car, but he had blood running down his face from somewhere in his hair line and water dripping off him like some serial killer in a teen slasher flick. "_Oh my god_!"

I jumped out of the car, instinctively putting my hand over where I thought the blood was coming from. It was pouring outside and I was soaked in seconds. "Jesus Gael, what happened?"

"Your lover boy over there knocked me out to get to you this morning." He looked down at me sheepishly and glared back at Seth. "I guess I wasn't the best protector for you after all."

I looked back at Seth shocked. "Seth?"

He was out of the car and slowly walking around to my side. I stepped closer to Gael, still holding his head. "Look it was important, if it wasn't I wouldn't have been so insistent."

"No, insistent is not taking no for an answer." I pointed at Gael's head. "This is violent." I shook my head walking Gael towards the emergency entrance. "I don't have time for this shit, my friend and sister was just in a shooting. Your petty bullshit needs to be on fucking pause for a while." I snap, not looking back. I did hear his car start up and drive away by the time I got to the doors. There was a rush of panic when Gael flashed his badge and they saw the blood all over his face.

I was brought into where Bella was waiting, but she was sleeping on some chairs in a room, lying on Anne's lap. I headed back to the triage area to check on Gael and ran into Lauren.

She started to walk by but I stopped her, grabbing her wrist. "Hey wait, could you tell me what happened?"

Lauren glared for a second and jerked her wrist away from my grip. "You know if you were around a bit more then you would have known this."

"Don't pull that shit on me laur—" I took a deep breath and halted that bitch-out before I even started it. "Look, I know we have never really been especially close, but she is my sister and he is my friend. Please, I won't justify my past actions but I am defending my present ones. I am here now."

She sighed again and looked me over before giving one solid nod. "They were fighting, over Bella sneaking back to the bar I think, she walked outside and Alistair followed. Peter was just reaching the door to help out, you know, make sure Alistair kept his cool and what not. That's when Bella started screaming and Alistair fell to his knees." She started tearing up and covered her mouth looking away in order to get herself under control.

"Peter took off into the woods while the ambulance people showed up and started working on Alistair. He came back with Edward and some old gun in tow." I stared at her in disbelief. Edward? _EDWARD_?

"Oh god, _Edward_?"

Lauren was nodding and wiped her face and blinking her eyes rapidly. "Yeah."

I knew with Anne and Lauren there, then Bella really didn't need me here right now, but I felt like I needed to get something done to help. "Look, I can call out of work a while if you guys need shifts covered at the bar or anything. I want to help where I can."

She nodded thoughtfully and started to walk away. _Well, at least I put it out there_. Lauren stopped so suddenly and spun around to me that I actually jumped away from her a step. "You can help me get her shit out of the apartment." She said abruptly. "She doesn't need to be going back there and being reminded of all that shit."

I nodded eagerly, happy to have something to do. "Yes! Of course, where am I taking it?"

She frowned and shrugged. "Take it to my place. I have an extra room and we can just put Alistair's things in his office for now, that way Bella can work on selling the place and not have to think about his things. You know, no matter how this goes."

Right, just in case he dies, got it. Grim, but it made sense.

I let her head toward Bella's room and I found Gael glaring very meanly at a nurse that was stitching up his head. She saw me walk into the room and gave what looked like a sigh of relief. "Are you next of kin?"

I opened my mouth to reply only to be instantly cut off by Gael. "My wife."

"I am not admitting to that." I said instantly, making the nurse laugh. She gave me a look like she felt sorry for me and I looked at Gael with a level look. "Are you being a baby about a little scratch?"

Gael went back to glaring at the woman. "She is determined to check out what my skull looks like I think."

The nurse sighed. "I am trying to get all the bits of glass out, I cannot numb your whole head so you are going to have to suck up a few pinches Mr. Gael."

"Agent Gael." He snapped, making the woman roll her eyes. I put on a pair of gloves and came over taking the tweezers from the nurse. "Go ahead; I'll call you back in when it's time to slap him around." I joked. To my surprise, she didn't even fight me on it and walked out leaving me to it.

"You know that poor woman is only doing her job."

"I am not surprised you offered to be the one to make the pain." He said grouchily, hissing when I pulled a particularly long sliver of glass out.

"Oh am I on your shit list now, darling husband?" I snapped. Really, these two guys are seriously going to make me bat for the blue team.

"You were making out with the guy that bashed my head in, so yeah, you are not one on my favorite person's list right this second." He said quietly.

"I didn't know he did that and you have no right to tell me who I can and cannot make out with!"

I just pulled a piece out of his head when he grabbed me around the waist, pulling me in front of him. "But I want to have that right." He looked into my eyes and I stared back, scared to move. It's not even dinner time yet and today as just been too much for me.

"Can we wait until all this has settled down and I have had a chance to talk with Seth before I have to hand over that right again?" I asked, probably looking as tired as I felt.

He nodded and I started to move away, but his hands held tighter and he stood up, now towering over me, his eyes never leaving mine. "Can I just… leave you something to think about?"

His hand touched my jaw gently, cupping my face as he leaned into me. His kiss was light and sweet, not insistent or pushy at all. I relaxed against him and he held me closer to his body, lightly touching his tongue to my lips.

Everything about this kiss was the opposite of Seth. It wasn't all consuming and fast burning. It was a slow, deep burn that made all my other senses light up with all that was happening. I opened my mouth feeling and tasting him with my tongue. My arms wrapped around his neck as he deepened the kiss, making me drop the tweezers I was holding onto the exam table. I could smell his cologne and the blood and the rain on him. His hands were slowly sliding down my back, coming to a rest on the curve of my ass.

This could have gone further, it probably would have, however I laced my fingers in his hair and scratched his scalp without thinking. He hissed against my lips. "I think you missed a piece."

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" I pushed him back on the exam table and went for the tweezers again.

I was trying to keep my face without much emotion because I knew that he was studying my face. "Don't stare at me; you're not going to find any clues there._ I_ don't even know how I feel."

"Did that feeble attempt even work?"

I stopped, looking down at him and smiled softly. "If you didn't have shards of glass in your head right now, then that probably would have gone further then I would have intended it to. Which in turn, would have made me regret it, so it is actually good it went the way it did." I gave him a playful wink. "Leave them wanting not repentant."

"Are you wanting?" He stood again and I pushed him back down laughing. "I am wanting, but bravely holding out until this whole mess is over."

He grinned and nodded, holding still while I pulled the last of the glass out. "What happened with you and Seth? Is he going to get into trouble?"

He sighed as I took a vacant chair to listen. "He came in this morning and tried to argue with me for almost a half an hour. I told him over and over that you went through a lot yesterday and you needed to rest." He shrugged and gestured toward his head. "I was walking him towards the door when he asked to use the bathroom. I of course let him because I knew if I told him no he would whine to you and you would get pissed that I didn't at least let him pee."

I snorted and rolled my eyes but I knew he was right. That is probably exactly how it would have played out.

"I showed him where it was but he smashed the decorative soap dish over my head."

I made a sympathetic noise and touched his hand. "I never would have thought he was capable of something like that." I shook my head. "Well I guess I am not a great judge of character, since they found out that the person that shot Alistair was Edward."

"Edward Mason?" Gael sat up surprised.

I nodded rubbing my face. "That's the one." I growled standing up, pacing the small room. "You know what? Maybe you should just leave town while this gets hashed out, that way there is no temptation for me to fuck anything up. I mean seriously, this looks absolutely fucking Jerry Springer right about now."

Gael was looking at me as if I had lost my marbles, but I ignored him, carrying on while my rant still had momentum. "I mean seriously, I sleep with Alistair for months, almost a year while he has a fucking fiancé. Then, in order to keep my sister safe, I sleep with Edward, but that was fucking brilliant of me. Believe me, I know how fucking stupid that sounds, but it made perfect fucking sense at the time." My voice was rising and my arms flung out with punctuation for my tirade. "Then, thinking I am _finally_ going in the right direction, I find Seth and I sleep with him only to find out, hey he is a huge whore that uses the FBI as a cover to sleep around."

I stop right in front of Gael, panting as my rage starts to ebb and I feel another sobbing break down coming but I can't help it. "Please tell me right now if you are planning on being a huge dickhead or are married or have some alter slut ego that I need to know about because quite frankly, I just cant handle anymore."

Gael got up and pulled me into a hug, not thing more then a tight embrace to hold me together as I fell apart.

My cell phone beeping loudly to tell me that someone was calling woke me up. I looked around until I spotted the clock on the bedside table. _9 Am_. I answered the phone with something between a grunt and a greeting.

"Nessie, it's Lauren, did I wake you?" I grunted again. Don't judge, Gael and I didn't get back to my apartment until the sun started coming up again. "Okay well I have the key to Bella and Alistair's apartment and I just got the go ahead from the cops to start clearing everything out…"

I was about three seconds behind the conversation, but I followed the little bread crumbs of information enough to get my little brain light to click on. "Oh right okay um… sorry long night."

"Yeah, you and me both, but hey no rush, I just wanted to let you know I was going to be there at around noon, if you wanted to stop by."

I scrubbed my face and nodded before rolling my eyes at myself. "Yes, I'll be there at noon, coffee or alcohol in had. I haven't decided yet." I joked rolling myself out of bed so that I didn't have the opportunity to fall asleep again.

There was a snort on the other end and what sounded like a sigh. "Either one would be welcome at this point."

"I hear ya, alright, I will see you then." I hung up and hauled myself to the shower, at least making the effort that I didn't see fit to do last night before I pretty much literally fell into bed. After my breakdown, Gael kept me close to him, but kept his touches and movements supportive. There was nothing pushy or awkward with hanging with him, even if it was in the emergency room and peppered with emotional sprinkles.

When he walked me to my door, he said he would be by early to check up on me, but they also gave him a pretty scary looking shot for pain before we left the ER, so I wasn't convinced that he would show up.

I tied the towel tight around me and walked into the kitchen to see if I had any coffee left in the house. The sight of Gael passed out on my couch stopped me and it wasn't just any passing out. It looked as though he tried his hardest to stay awake, so he propped pillows on either side of him to keep him from falling over and crossed his arms in front of him for warmth.

I sighed and almost went to him and shook him, but instead I got the blanket from my room and covered him.

It was a negative on the coffee in the house, so I left Gael a note that told him where I would be and how he could reach me. I mean he as an FBI agent so it wasn't like he couldn't find me, but still. Common courtesy and all that made me explain myself to him. Maybe because I didn't want him to worry. He really was a great help right now, I don't think I could have gotten through all this without him.

I just can't let myself get so attached.

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	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: Hey kiddo's, there are several new videos on my profile and don't forget to check out the blacksheepfiction blog, address is also on the profile!**_

Chapter 16

It was six weeks four days and six hours before Alistair was able to get up and use the bathroom on his own. Bella was of course there when he opened his eyes four days ago for the first time. She kept it a secret for 24 hours before sending out a mass text telling everyone he was awake. I asked her about it when I saw her after that and she said she didn't want to waste the time she had with him on the phone calling everyone.

Stupid in love, that is the theme I am going with for Alistair and my sister. The hospital is insisting on several months of physical therapy and mental therapy as well. I laughed when I heard that. There is no hope with Alistair on that front. The physical part was easy enough to arrange though. Lauren is a part time physical therapist when she isn't working at the bar. Since Bella is living with Lauren now and Alistair insisted on going back to work as soon as possible, they moved him into his office with the intention for him and Bella to find a closer apartment to the bar.

Things were quiet with me. I sent Gael back to Seattle with Seth along with him. I cannot think when I have someone I have been with and someone I am very tempted to be with both telling me how they are better then the other. I won't be between these two guys like a tug-o-war rope between two possessive dogs. I am starting to like just being me, not having to worry about the drama that comes with the day to day of having a man constantly in your life. Even if your relationship is perfect, you see a woman on the street and think. 'She is so pretty, I wonder if…' and that is where it starts.

So being just Reneesme hasn't been that bad. I see my three clients for work and most days I will go to the bar to check on Alistair and more often then not Bella is there, although she has been looking increasingly uncomfortable at the bar. I noticed the other day, while we were all using Alistair's two weeks out of the hospital anniversary to take shots.

I tried to pull her aside, but she wouldn't talk to me there. I did however convince her that we needed some sibling time and set up a night to go on a sister date. I am in face leaving the house now to do just that. With one last glance in the mirror, I am heading for the front door and to my car.

I hope this isn't something silly, like she isn't getting along with Lauren or something at work. I mentally gasp I flicker through ideas of what could possibly be wrong with my sister. What if she is pregnant! _Holy crap, which would throw anyone off_, especially if the father just got out of the hospital after being shot in the chest. I smack my forehead with the heel of my hand lightly. Wow, I am surprised I hadn't though of this earlier!

I shake my head. "Let her tell you, don't run out assuming anything!"

_Okay, done talking to myself_. It only takes ten minutes to get to the tiny little bistro that Bella picked out to meet her. I walked in to see her in the back booth, pouring out two glasses of wine.

I smile and scoot across from her, throwing my bag and jacket on the seat next to me. "Hey you, are you starting without me?" I pointed to the wine bottle to show what I meant.

Bella gave a small laugh and shook her head. "Perfect timing, I was just starting actually. I ordered you the eggplant because I know that is what you'll get."

I gave her a look of mock shock. "You ordered for me too! Damn woman, take me home and put me to bed! I may be in love with you." I grinned as she laughed. It was nice to see her laughing again.

She handed over the bread basket and sipped at her wine. "So tell me why we are in such urgent need of sister time."

I finished nibbling my bread stick and took a swig of my wine. "You are miserable and I have come to find out why."

The look on her face was concern she opened and closed her mouth a bunch of times before finally responding. "I hadn't realized that it was so obvious."

I shook my head giving a small smile. "Don't worry, sissy. I know you better then anyone else and I am pretty sure I am the only one that noticed." I gave her hand a small squeeze. "However, that does mean you are in serious danger of cracking soon and then everyone will know."

She nodded and gave me a small appreciative smile. "You know if I say it out loud, it will sound stupid, so no laughing at me."

I snorted at the request because seriously, whenever someone tells you not to laugh, then you know it's going to be fucking hilarious. "I will do my best." I said honestly.

Bella shook her head at me and sighed. "Okay fine. I think…I think Alistair and Lauren are sleeping together."

I am pretty sure my jaw it the table. My response is on hold as the waiter drops off our food and asks us if we needed anything else. I assure him that we fine and turn my attention back to Bella. "Are you serious? Why? What makes you think that?"

Bella lifted her fork, pushing around her food as she shrugs lightly. "She comes home and talks about his progress and the jokes they shared during the day and lately…" I watched my sister take a strengthening breath before going on. "She gets this far off look on her face when she speaks oh him. I know that look. I have had it myself and it's the same look you had when you…"

I wave my hand around to show her it doesn't need to be said. I have worked very hard not to sink into that anymore and I don't even hate him as I used to. Well I didn't until just now. _How dare he pull this shit again_? Wouldn't being shot help you reevaluate you life and the people in it. Especially the particular people that stick by you through all you fucking childish… I take a much needed breath.

Maybe they have just grown as friends? Saying that in my head sounds pretty stupid but it's the stupid things I say when I cannot for sure help her dispute an idea that is more then likely possible. She saw it all over my face.

There were no tears or sobbing that I thought was coming, she just nodded silently and picked at her food some more. I paid for the food since I couldn't eat anything either and took her back to my place for some thinking time and lots of alcohol.

"You know alcohol probably isn't the best idea right now." Bella so graciously reminded me for the third time since we got here. "It gives me the courage to do stupid things."

"Things that need to be done!" Is my equally unhelpful statement as I raise my glass in the air. "I know! I got it!"

Bella sat up quickly, giving me the attention of her unfocused eyes. "What? Are we going to burn the bar down when they are in it together?"

I cracked up laughing at the ridiculousness of the idea. Okay well it was a horrible idea, but we were two bottles in on southern comfort and the worst ideas just seemed funny. "No! We set them up!"

Bella leaned heavily on her hand in what was supposed to look more interested, how it mostly looked as if she was holding herself up. "Okay, throw it at me."

"We get them into a game of drink or dare! We get them to kiss and if it looks like it's been done before or whatever then they are sleeping together!" This was actually pretty brilliant considering I was drunk off my ass right now.

Bella was shaking her head. "He is a moron but he isn't stupid, you know?" I nodded even though I really didn't get what that was supposed to mean. It was okay though because she went on to explain. "He wont just kiss her if I am sitting right there!"

Well fuck, she is right. "What if I get the security cameras going again?"

"I can get on the closed circuit from my laptop!" she said sitting up excitedly. "That way I don't even have to be there!"

"Oh my god Bella you are a genius!" I exclaimed clapping at the brilliant idea. I took out a pad of paper and wrote everything down in case we woke up the next morning and had no idea what we planned. It was a good idea because that is exactly what happened, but with the drunk illustrations on my note pad and the few notes I wrote out, we had a solid plan formed and even in the light of the next morning, Bella was 100% on board with it.

"Am I being a horrible girlfriend for doing this instead of just trusting him?" Bella was standing at my door step with an over night bag in her hand looking suddenly concerned.

"If you don't want to do this then we don't have to." I said grabbing her bag and pulling her inside. "You can go on in torturous ignorance."

She rolled her eyes at me and smirked. "You're so helpful. I'm serious; does this make me a horrible person for setting him up like this?"

I waved the idea away with my hand. "No, because you're not setting him up to fail, you are setting him up to chose to fail or not. It's his choice and you are just seeing what he will do when no one is looking."

The resolve was on her face again and she nodded. "That's right. Good, okay I am ready to do this."

"Good, now let's go over this." I pulled out my now rewritten notes and set them at the table where we both sat down looking over them. "I already set the cameras up yesterday while the bar was busy, so they are running now." I pointed to her laptop. "You can get on at any point now and watch all four cameras that are running in the bar."

She nodded and looked at the list. "The story is I am away on a business trip and I will be back on Monday."

"Right, so I will got to the bar about an hour before they close and get Lauren and Alist to join me for a game of drink or dare." I said chewing my lip some. This really would be the easy part, the hard part if getting them drunk enough to not worry about the fact that I am Bella's sister. "We've had a fight."

Bella tilted her head at my random comment. "Huh?"

"That is how I can get them to forget about me being your sister. We've had a fight and I am so mad at you I need to drink!" My voice was building in volume as I got more excited about this plan. "It's perfect! You know that is the first thing Alist does when he is pissed off and that usually fuels some stupid behavior."

Bella was slowly grinning. "That is perfect, it's a shame I didn't pick a fight with him before I left." She said joking. That would have helped, but it wouldn't count because he would be acting out of anger. Still no excuse, but it doesn't equal some rational choices. Everyone knows Alistair is never cloudy headed drunk, just less restrained.

I looked at my watch and realized I had to get ready now if I were to get this plan on the move. "Shit, okay, I am going to get ready and you set up what you need to set up. Don't forget to hit record!" I jumped up and ran to the room. What do you wear exactly when you're going to set up your sister's fiancé to cheat on her? If it were with me that I would dress sexy, but I am a witness not a participant.

_Thank god_. I've ran that road before and I am not fond of the view.

I slip on a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt with the theory that if I am pissed then I wont be paying much attention to how I would be dressing. I gave Bella the key to the alcohol cabinet and kissed her cheek before heading to my car, triple checking the plan in my head. I was so involved with the task at hand I didn't even see the solid human wall I ran into until I was flat on my ass looking up.

"Seth?"

"Hey Ace, how are you doing?" he asked offering me a hand up. Damn he looked good too. It had been a long time since I've seen him and he seemed to have gained more muscle and the unshaven stubble on his chin just set the tone for rough and sexy. Fuck.

I took his hand and got to my feet shaking my head clear. "Hey Seth, I am doing okay, but I am kinda in a hurry so—" I tried to walk around him to my car but he quickly moved in front of me.

"Wait, please just give me a second." He said holding up his hands to keep me still. I looked at my watch, I was already running late.

"Look, Seth I really have somewhere to be right now and I cannot be late." I moved around him again and he put his hand over my door making me look up at him annoyed. "Seth—"

"I am not going until you talk to me." His face was serious and I frowned at him and sighed. "Fine but you get in that side and you listen to what I am doing with no negative comments. You want to hang out then you're going to be a part of it. It works out in my favor anyways because I could use you."

He stared at me for a good ten seconds before letting go of the door and jogging around to the other side of the car, sliding into the passenger side. I pulled away from my apartment and started to tell him everything that was going on from the time he left. I told him about how Bella suspects Alistair of cheating and why Lauren was the most likely prospect for it. By the time I finished we were pulling into the parking lot of the bar. "So now I am going in there to set this up and give them every opportunity to be good or bad"

"And why is it that me here works in your favor?" he said with a little smirk.

I grinned and started to get out. "Because I have hatched a story that me and Bella are fighting and you my dear just became the source of that fight."

He laughed and took my hand as we walked to the front doors. "Then let's make this shit look good."

We walked into the bar and Alistair was leaning on the counter nursing a bottle of Jack already, which was a good thing. Lauren came in from the back door, most likely having just thrown the trash out back. "Hey Ness, what are you doing here?" She was asking me but looking at Seth with a curious gaze.

"Well I had a fight with my sister and I just thought that you lovely people would like to join me and the source of my argument here for a few games of drink or dare." I grinned broadly and watched Alistair's lips twitch. He was always up for a good pissed off drinking game. Probably because he was always pissed off.

"I am in." He said, looking over Seth with a sort of challenge. Oh right, forgot to tell Seth about that. I gave a silent prayer that there wasn't going to be any pissing contests or chest beating with the boys together.

"I don't know…" Lauren was looking us over with uncertainty and looked over at Alistair who gave her a nod and a grin. "Oh come on, princess, don't fucking pussy out now! Look, I will tell you what. I will take your morning shift so you don't have to work hung over at the bar tomorrow."

Lauren clapped her hands laughing. "That is a deal, boss man!"

Lauren locked the doors and Alistair brought over the alcohol, sitting heavily in the booth with Lauren while Seth and I took the end spots. There were a lot of cheesy dares at first and Lauren was brave with the dares depending on who was handing them out. When I started to feel like I was getting pretty intoxicated, I looked over at Seth and saw that he wasn't far from me in inebriation. Good, this meant that Alistair and Lauren, who were drinking before we got here, are well past flagged.

"Ness! Drink or dare!" Lauren said giggling at her slightly slurring words. She was now lying against Alistair who was absently playing with her hair.

I pretended to think on it, but I knew I couldn't keep drinking at this pace. "Dare."

Lauren grinned evilly at me and pointed between Seth and I. "Since I have so graciously not asked about your whole history, but you guys don't seem 'together', then I would say it is an adequate dare to make you guys make out."

I look at Seth with a small look of trepidation. _Oh, god she had to open this particular Pandora's Box of raging emotion_. Seth smiled and winked, standing up and facing the table. "Now you see that is a particularly hard dare to accomplish because mine and Ace's history is well…I cheated on her. However I know it was a mistake and I actually came to town today to tell her how I would do anything to get her back into my life."

Seth looked over at me and I am pretty sure I looked just how I felt, which was like I wanted to melt into the seat. _Why was he saying all this_? "Well her sister wasn't too happy about this, so in light of all that information, I have a deal to make."

Lauren sat up and gave Seth her apt attention. He winked at me again and looked between Alistair and Lauren. "A make out for a make out."

Lauren froze. She literally froze before squeaking a look at Alistair, who in my opinion was looking like he was going to either laugh or yell. The smirk was appearing across his lips and I had never been happier to see it. Seth offered me a hand and I stood next to him and whispered in his ear. "You're a life saver. Now sit in the chair so the camera behind us can catch them."

Seth sat in the regular table chair that was behind him and I straddled his lap, glancing back at Lauren and Alistair who were just looking at each other really. Lauren looked over at us and gave a small nod. "Okay deal."

I watched them as she leaned forward touching his jaw lightly before their lips crashed together. My fingers dug into Seth enough to make him jump and it was at the tip of my tongue to scream at Alistair! He actually did it and that was not an '_oh lets just do it for the sake of the game_' kiss. That was a wanting and practiced kiss.

Strong hands turned my face suddenly and the second that came next had me kissing Seth. I tried to pull away so that I could get my scolding and yelling done while Lauren and Alistair were still kissing, but Seth kept me still, his eyes boring into mine. A small mewing noise behind me told me Seth was telling me to let it play out. Bella is watching so it doesn't matter what my reaction will be. No point to blowing the cover now.

I let myself feel the warm lips on mine and slowly slid my arms around Seth's neck. The hormones and emotion suddenly took over my body and thoughts of Bella, Lauren, and Alistair went out the window as I kissed this man that had stung me so badly.

They came back in the window when I heard a door slam and realized Alistair and Lauren were both gone and his office door was now shut.

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	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: Here you go guys! Enjoy!**_

Chapter 17

"Are you sure you don't want me with you?" I asked Bella for the fourth time. Seriously, she just saw her fiancé make out with her best friend the night before yesterday. Besides, I would like to smack that bitch Lauren anyways. Who the fuck does she think she is going in and … I suddenly realized that I was most pissed because it was exactly what I did. The difference being that she was busted on camera and Jen made Alistair Squirm until he told the truth, but still. Same thing.

Bella shook her head and gave me another sad smile that just ripped my heart out for her. "No, I have to speak to him on my own before I can even look at her. Now is my best bet because I know she isn't at the bar."

I gave my sister a hug against before she walked out of the apartment. She hadn't shed one tear in front of me. She acted as if Alistair was some god that she was lucky to have even notice her, which is bullshit. I wanted to get mad at her, but I knew it would do no good. Some how she would turn this into her fault, knowing my sister and there was just no stopping that.

As I watched her pull away, just as another car took her spot and I had to smile to myself despite the fact that I hadn't sorted through how I felt about everything yet. Seth got out of his car carrying a large mewing box. My grin grew. "The kids?"

He laughed nodding as he followed me into the apartment. We were careful to close the door behind us so they wouldn't run for it. "Of course, I had to bring them by since they were starting to get a complex about mommy abandoning them."

I gasped slapping his arm. "I did not abandon them!"

"You kind of did." He said opening the box just slightly. A gray nose poked out and I covered it with my fingers making it retreat and then the meowing doubled. I guess they remember my scent. Seth opened it all the way and all three kittens were looking up at me meowing desperately. I cried, like an idiot and hugged each of them and let them free in the apartment, watching them play.

We sat on the couch, each with a cup of coffee in hand and watched the kids play. "You know we need to talk eventually." He said quietly, not looking up from the scampering kittens. I nodded looking down at my coffee and back up at him. I just really didn't want to have that talk.

I set my coffee and his on the coffee table and I took his hands. "Can we just skip it?"

He frowned looking at me. "What? No, you can't pretend it never happened it—"

I shook my head slowly. "I didn't say I wanted to pretend it never happened, I want you to remember it happened." I said tilting my head and leaning in making my intentions pretty clear. "I said I wanted to skip the talk."

His eyes grew slightly before meeting me half way, out lips crashing together, fingers tightening on whatever hold we had on the other. I was done being scared and pissed off and alone. Self empowerment was really fun for a while but truth was, I missed him. A lot and I was seriously thinking of using Gael to fill the void that had only been meant for Seth.

I wanted him back.

I pulled back slightly, taking in much needed oxygen, letting him kiss along my neck. "The job will never again be more important then our relationship."

Seth nodded pushing me back on the couch, his hands sliding under my shirt making me moan out at his touch. He was sucking along my collarbone rocking against me and softly mumbling. "No, Gael. You're mine. Only mine."

I laughed lightly rocking back. "Mmm yes yours, no Gael." From there it was a flurry of shirts and pants, moaning and eventually screaming and as I lay on his chest naked and sweating, still trying to catch my breath, I felt happy for the first time in a while.

"What happened with your boss?" I asked quietly, dragging my finger up and down his chest. When he didn't answer, I looked up at him and was surprised to see him looking at me with a concerned frown. "What?"

"Are you going to be bringing it up to torture me all the time or is this a once time inquiry?" Seth spoke quietly, but I could tell he was angry. I sat up, running the question over again in my head to try and figure out what it was that I said to make him so mad.

Click, light bulb.

I gave a small smirk. "I meant with the case? She was responsible for that whole Pack Insurance thing and she had countless murders on her hands."

Understanding dawned Seth's face and he gave me a sheepish smile. "I am sorry Ace, I shouldn't have jumped to that."

I laughed shaking my head. "It's is a reasonable assumption, don't worry about it."

He gave me another guilty look before nodding. "Okay well, Emily got arrested. When she got pressure put on her, she gave two of her highest investors. Of course I had already had possession of Sam Uley's notebook."

"What happened with your cousin?"

He frowned, looking at the ceiling and running a hand through his hair. "Leah got away. She left town only hours before we got to her place, but the things she left behind can put Emily away for years and year. Maybe even for good."

I know it bothered him. It was a huge moral dilemma for him because on one hand he wanted to protect his family, what little he had of it anyways. On the other hand, he was serious about his job and would do anything to do it right.

I opened my mouth to tell his how proud I was of him, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. I jumped up shooing Seth to the bed room as I snatched my robe off the back of the chair in the kitchen and walked to the door.

When I opened the door, Agent Gael stood there staring at me. The smile he had for me died fast when his beautiful blue eyes flashed over me and landed on something behind me towards the bedroom. I looked back to see Seth, walking around in his underwear. I closed my eyes curing before looking back at Gael. It was disturbing how quickly his eyes changed from deep ocean blue to ice.

"So you have chosen then?" He said calmly, already nodding as if I had answered him.

"Gael, look it's not—" I started, but his hand coming up fast and stopping palm raised silenced me. The stop signal was international, multilingual, stupid-proof. He didn't want to hear a word that I as going to say.

"If you are going to say that it isn't what it looks like, well then I don't want to hear you lie to me face." He said quietly as his eyes searched mine sadly. "If what you are going to say is that it's not as easy as you think, then that is closer to the truth, but not wholly." He gave me a sad smile and touched my cheek. I hadn't realized I was even crying until he was wiping my tears. "If you are going to tell me that it's nothing that I did and it will just always be him, then thank you for telling the truth."

With that, Gael left. I leaned against the door and watched him go, silently crying as his car pulled away. Strong arms encircled my waist but it only made me cry harder. "He will be okay, you know that." Seth whispered into my hair. "I think deep down, he knew that he didn't really have a chance—"

I looked up at him fast and shook me head. "Oh don't you mistake yourself, sweetheart. I love you and things worked out for you and I because of that, but you fucked up. He had a chance, in face he was so close to having the chance that if you didn't show up the say of the Drink or Dare game, then he would have me."

Seth frowned and stepped back a little. Uh oh, well it's better this come out now then later on. "You two got _that_ close?"

I rolled my eyes, shutting the door and shedding my robe again. What can I say; we are a nudist kind of house. "We were not physical, no. He kissed me though. I kissed him back. There was mutual kissing going on."

"So if I had not shown up that day then you would be in bed with Randall right now?" Seth's voice was getting louder and I crossed my arms in front of me.

When I finally spoke, it was in a clear and even voice, looking at him with hopefully was a blank expression. "Seth Clearwater, if you are implying I am a whore, then you better grab your shit and go and never call me or speak to me again."

A small flash of panic crossed his face and he was back to me with his arms around me kissing my neck. "I just meant that it was fate that brought me there that day instead of him and I will be grateful, forever."

I snorted at the back peddling cheesy line, but I smiled anyways and looked up at him. "You are lucky that I love you, you know that right?"

Seth gave me the biggest smirk I had ever seen on his face, before answering me with nothing but truth in his words. "Yes, you are right. I am lucky, luckiest man in the world."

Seth had to go back to the city to sell the apartment and get his things on a truck. He was already assigned to a new case so it took longer then was really needed for three weeks later, we were comfortable living together again in my apartment. Bella was staying here too, since she refused to go back to Lauren's place.

That whole scene was not a pretty one from what I heard. Alistair didn't deny a thing, however he didn't admit to anything either, which I don't know would be better or worse. At least he manned up and didn't lie about it; Bella didn't even have to show the video. What he did say was that yes they kissed and they were drunk and had full intentions of going into his office and finishing off the night. He swears that they didn't though. They both say that Lauren insisted not to when the time came and so they passed out.

Everyone of course, given Alistair's history, assumes this is a lie. Peter finally pulled out the contract (I guess he had copies) and up and sold the bar without Alistair's knowledge. There is absolutely nothing that he could do about it. As much as I hate the dickhead for what he did to my sister, I did look into it for him.

When a business man fears that his partner is no longer mentally capable, a guardian with the Power of Attorney may absolve contract. His lawyer Jim has that very power, given to him by Alistair's parents so that anything that may happen with Alistair and for whatever reason he was unable to chose himself, Jim may do it for him. The problem is that time really never came, unless it was to transfer money to bail Alistair out of jail.

Jim had gotten sour over the years, doing Alistair's bidding, hold his hand and cleaning up his mess for the same retainer charge as he had twenty years prior. He couldn't take what he thought he deserved because Alistair was one of those rare cases for Jim where the client regularly checked his accounts.

Jim was on retainer for about four or five young princes. That is what the other attorneys called all the rich play boys that they regularly bailed out of jails or paid a woman to keep an unwanted pregnancy quiet. He had been able to stay pretty comfortable with all of their accounts like padding his pockets, and upping his pay. Not with Alistair though. He told me often back when I worked for the bar that there was not a lot that he remembered about his parents, except that their money was handmade. Money earned with their own hard work and his father used to say that, "If you are going to work hard all your life for your money, they you better be ready to work hard looking after that money because not many people get the whole working hard part. They just want the money and they will take it and if you are not careful, you will find yourself just handing it to them."

Peter gave Jim a great signing bonus of 15% of the profit in the sale of the bar. Peter didn't realize how attached the employees were to the bar it self. Myles once told me after that Peter had sat everyone down, including Alistair, and told them as a group that he was selling. No one believed it, Alistair even laughed I was told, but in the end, every single employee quit right then and there. Refusing to work for Peter and refusing to work for whomever he had sold the business too.

It has been a long few weeks to say the least. The three of us got along just fine, Bella even started to smile again, although you could tell it was to convince us more then show us that she was fine. When a month passed and the bar had been close and we all seemed to shift into our new and old routine was when the curve ball came.

I knew that Seth was going to be gone for the week because he had to fly out for a new case. Bella got home early today because there was some sort of pipe burst in her office and she couldn't work for three days. I thought it would be a good time to do our girls night theme and get wasted.

I stopped by the 'Town Pump' since the bar closed now and picked up some alcohol for us to drink the night away. I was smiling to myself as I headed back to the car, thinking about how odd my sister's and mine relationship was. We tolerated each other growing up, but grew closer as we got older; usually it was the other way around. Or so I thought anyways.

I pulled up to the apartment and saw her car sitting in her spot and I grinned. 'Thank god she wasn't the going out type.' I thought to myself. It made making plans for her so much easier. I grabbed my things from the car and headed to the apartment, whistling and swinging my keys as I went. I could hear a music coming from my place and almost laughed. That means she is in a great mood.

This night was going to be epic.

I walked in, not bothering to announce myself because the music was coming from her room and her door was closed. She wouldn't have been able to hear me anyways. I dropped the booze off in the kitchen and went to my room to slip into my sweats and tank top. I am sorry but as girly as I like to be in public, as soon as I am in for the night, I want my sweats and shirt and a glass of something alcoholic.

I walked back up the hall and opened Bella's bedroom door. Big fucking mistake.

Bella was riding, quite enthusiastically might I add, a man in her bed. I should have slowly shut the door and backed away back down the hall way and they wouldn't have ever been the wiser, but no, stupid human impulse and girly reaction, instead I yelled out. "Oh my god! I am so sorry!"

Bella screamed and covered herself, falling sideways off the man and onto the bed. The man…

"Gael." My eyes were huge and I felt my chin quiver some.

"Reneesme…" Gael stood and, wobbled some. He never wobbled. He was always a sure footed, strong, reliable FBI agent that I had no right to be upset about right now! Or so I told myself. 'Put on a happy fucking face for your sister and the man you kicked to the curb and be happy for them!'

Good pep talk.

I smiled. "Gael… well I am sorry you guys." I looked at Bella who looked ashamed but I smiled at her. I thought we could have a girls night, but I will go out to a movie. You enjoy yourself. I will be back later on."

I backed up and was thankful they didn't try to call me back. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of jack and two cans of coke and went to my room, shutting the door and turning on my MP3 player, sticking the ear buds into my ears to listen to music of my own. There, that should give them some privacy. I really just didn't want to get dressed again honestly.

Do not be upset, you have no right!

But I was upset, because no matter how I hurt him, intentionally or not, he still looked like he was guilty. I drove him to this and he was the one looking guilty. God I am such a fucked up individual.

Bella was shaking me with two new cans of coke and I looked at the bottle of jack. I never opened it, but fell asleep with it in my hand anyways.

She silently made us each a drink and when she handed me mine I looked at her face. She stared back for about half a second before bursting into tears. "Oh Reenee, please forgive me!"

The childhood nickname made me smile and that was it. "Bella! Stop, there is nothing to forgive!" and there wasn't. It was like as soon as she spoke, everything was gone. Whatever weird emo feeling I had of Gael and Bella was gone and all that was left was childish curiosity.

"So… tell me how big he is…" I sang out, making her laugh hard.

It was good to see Bella laughing again. Very good.

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